


Marks On My Skin

by kjonginexo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, M/M, as always, i'm bringing it back, past chanhun, so y'all can stop harassing me, sorry ksoo, the end game is sekai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 02:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjonginexo/pseuds/kjonginexo
Summary: Sehun wasn't sure if it was possible to love someone else besides the soulmate who writes back to him on his skin, but he was in love with his best friend's boyfriend, Kim Jongin.





	1. Chapter 1

Sehun sat on the barista counter, running his hands over his face out of excruciating boredom. The rain was beautiful to look at if he were cuddled up in his blankets and bed, adorned in sweatpants. No, here he stood in skinny jeans with a shirt of his coffee shop that he co-owned in an empty cafe since the storm was so bad that no one bothered to commute. Sehun figures this is pretty lame, and he kind of really hates sitting in an empty coffee shop especially when he has the power to close it. 

He definitely had two options, stick out the winter rain storm and sit in an empty cafe or bother his best friend and co-owner, Do Kyungsoo who was busy working on tax files for this year. The latter seemed better and much more appealing to Sehun as he shimmied off the counter. Nimble thin fingers slipping in the belt loops of his jeans, pulling them up, fixing the slightly askew shirt on his broad shoulders as he navigated into the smaller back office. 

It only had a desk, a filing cabinet, and room for two chairs but it was cozy nonetheless. Three people could fit if one decided to stand beside the door. Kyungsoo sat in the comfortable office chair with plush leather seats, the other males rounded wide eyes were focused onto the papers, petite figured slumped over the chair. Sehun sat in the chair on the other side of the desk, his narrow eyes studied the wide ones in front of him, giggling quietly when Kyungsoo’s sigh of drowsiness turned into annoyance.  
“What could you possibly need, Sehun?” Sehun cupped his face, fingers resting on his high prominent cheekbone, tongue darting over pink thin lips. “Seen your boy toy recently?” He loved to tease Kyungsoo about this boy he had been seeing, apparently just pretty and Kyungsoo withheld any possible details about him. “Not a boy toy.” Kyungsoo commented duly, making Sehun whine. “You’re no fun, it’s a monsoon out there and you’re all I have to entertain me.” Kyungsoo finally looked up at Sehun, a battle of eye contact of Sehun pleading to be entertained and Kyungsoo absolutely fed up with him. 

A sigh from Kyungsoo indicated victory for Sehun, papers resting now on the wooden desk making Sehun cross his arms pleasantly right over them. He wanted full attention, no distractions whatsoever. “So, boy toy?” Kyungsoo held his face with his hand, full lips curving into a little smile. “Not a boy toy, he’s great.” Sehun rolled his eyes, scoffing at the amount of description being provided. “Can I have a name so I can stop calling him boy toy?” Kyungsoo seemed to really debate the idea in his mind, as if telling Sehun a name would be the end of the world. 

“Jongin, his name is Jongin.” Sehun wiggled his eyebrows, nudging Kyungsoo with his foot. “Soulmates?” Kyungsoo looked down at the desk, hesitantly shaking his head with a little sigh. “No, just like one another I suppose.” Sehun nodded, frowning in sympathy for his friend until the other nudged him. “Hey, it’s not a big deal, someone’s out there and I haven’t met him yet. I can have fun in the meantime. Weren’t you the one who said that when you dated that brontosaurus?” Sehun scoffed, nudging Kyungsoo a little rougher. “His name is Chanyeol, dick. Yeah  I did and he was a great ex and current great friend. I’m glad he found his soulmate.” 

 

Soulmates were a popular thing, Sehun always thought he would be someone who didn’t want to find out who his soulmate was but a part of him craves to know. He sees people drawing on their skin and giggling quietly when a reply would appear onto their skin, Sehun wants that and he makes it too difficult on himself to even do it. He could take a pen and scribble a little hello with a smiley face, but he didn’t know if his soulmate would want that. He didn’t know if his soulmate wanted him, he was scared. 

Fear is the backbone of society, he’s noticed. Fear splits people in two ways when it comes to soulmates. People are scared to be alone so they seek their soulmate or they’re scared their soulmate isn’t what they expected and want to never find them, be alone forever or at least have a say in the matter. Sehun is somewhere in the middle but either way it leads to him not doing that little greeting into his arm and staring at it until he hopes a reply comes back. 

Scientists weren’t sure how it was possible for writing on the skin to occur between soulmates, a genetic mutation or maybe a string of fate. Theorists couldn’t ever come up with an answer and it shook Sehun up. He didn’t think about that part too much since if there wasn’t a clear answer then c’est la vie. He did though have a say in whether he’d reach out and he thought it was pretty brave for Kyungsoo to try it out with Jongin.

Sehun didn’t think he could possibly do that, take such a leap like that to see the possibilities. He did the test with only one other person and that was Chanyeol, his best ex he had ever had. Their relationship was a beautiful one that lasted two years, and for two years they didn’t question if they were soulmates. They fucked early into the mornings and cuddled one another late into the afternoons, had brunch in bed and dinners out in small cafes or hole in the wall restaurants. Conversations filled with laughter, little secrets and soft affectionate touches that sent sparks travelling up their bodies and in their nerves. Sehun knew a piece of something was missing, a fire connection that felt like they couldn’t be without one another, like how people explained when they met their soulmates. 

People claimed meeting their soulmate was like a fire hot and heavy between them, that when they fought and tried to leave, they couldn’t be without one another since the way they looked at each other said it all. Like they were destined and fated to be together, and Sehun and Chanyeol didn’t feel that way. They did the test on Chanyeol’s arm, Sehun was too scared to mark his arm even with something as simple as a line with the fat edge of a highlighter. Nothing showed on Sehun’s skin, it wasn’t long after that they broke up but decided to remain good friends. 

Chanyeol and his soulmate, Taeyeon, were sweet. Sehun always knew Chanyeol was bi so it all seemed to work out. They were engaged after just six months of dating, Sehun pinned it on soulmate fever of high quality destined to be together love. Sehun was happy for him, really, and he had moved on just fine but still wasn’t ready to take the step of finding his soulmate, not now, not yet. Maybe he needed his heart broken by the wrong person to be ready for the right, he reasons with himself, or maybe he didn’t want to find his soulmate at all and have it happen by pure chance so he could realize he could find love on his own. Whatever his reasons were, he wanted to wait, and wait is what Sehun decided to do now.

 

Kyungsoo stood up, exiting out of the cooped up office to see the hideous monsoon himself. Sehun stood behind him, leaning against the doorframe to stare into their empty shop. “Invite Jongin one day, I’m curious to meet him, you know.” Kyungsoo waved Sehun off, walking around the barista counter to the door to flip the open sign to close, finally turning to Sehun. “You’re my best friend, him meeting you makes this serious.” Sehun crossed his arms, annoyed at the words. “You’ve been seeing each other for almost two months, are you serious right now? What’s your deal?” Kyungsoo looked out to the rain, shrugging a little bit with furrowed eyebrows. “I don’t want to happen to you and Chanyeol to happen to him and I. I don’t need a soulmate but maybe he does.” Sehun put his hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, smiling faintly down at him with a genuine tone. “You’re both going to find your soulmates, fate always intervenes. You’re getting in the way of something good for yourself, something fun.” 

Kyungsoo nodded lightly, smile relaxed as he shrugged off Sehun’s hand. “Don’t touch me for that long. Maybe you can meet him, maybe. Let’s go, this is pointless.” Sehun squealed, shoving past Kyungsoo and walked outside, shivering immediately in the cold harsh winds combined with the heavy rain. “Hurry up, lock it.” Kyungsoo huddled over the door, keys jittering in his hands as he locked the door to the shop. “Tomorrow, be here on time I swear, Sehun.” Sehun nodded, running off to his Kia Soul, getting in to start up the heater. 

 

Besides Oh Sehun being terrified of a soulmate and finding out what it was, he was a pretty man who owned a coffee shop with his best friend. His dream when he was younger wasn’t owning a coffee shop, especially since he loathes coffee and prefers bubble tea much more. His childhood dream was to be a dancer, but unfortunately reality set on him hard when the opportunity to dance professionally was slim to none. His next dream was to own a dance studio where he could teach, that dream still simmers in a slow flame in his mind. 

He wasn’t too loud, in fact he got told rather often that he intimidates strangers until they feel the need to mention something or just walk away since he looks stoic in appearance. Sehun wasn’t shy, not that he thinks, he was moreso not into new people since new people were new variables he didn’t know much about. They were okay if they were being introduced to him, but strangers talking to him at a bar to get his number or something like that didn’t really work well with him. 

Yet somehow, he worked the front of the house perfectly in his coffee shop. Prettiness and a personable personality go hand in hand when it comes to taking orders and making coffee. The tips jar that gets full or quarter way to being full on the daily seems to back up his claim. Maybe it was the fact that he did genuinely care about his customers, he asked how their day was going and if they were feeling alright, he didn’t seem them as walking money bags. Sehun hated that part about businesses, how they asked since it was mandated and he could tell they were just being nice for the money. Sehun wanted to be nice just to be nice. 

Niceness, another quality about Sehun that stuck out. When he wasn’t looking intimidating or bored out of his mind, he spent times talking softly and asking questions, making people feel welcomed and warm, nothing more than how he would prefer to be treated. He liked kindness, he thought kindness is what the world needed most and he didn’t foresee a time where he would stop being kind.

Brattiness, another quality that Sehun gets a lot when he asks for a description of himself. Bratty, stubborn, hell bent on getting his way and accepts nothing less. He knows it’s not a very good combination but nothing makes him smile more when a pout in a cute tone gets him what he wants, he even manages to break down Kyungsoo on a weak day. He prides himself on that, he prides himself on a lot of things. 

Fashion is one, definitely his sense of style. His hair, his beautiful black hair that sometimes sees a blonde dye or maybe a more silverish blonde. Either way, he loves his hair so much that he forbids anybody from touching it. His eyebrows, perfectly shaped and thick. His body, the way he dances, all things he prides himself on. Also, maybe his really bad jokes that only Chanyeol laughs at and that’s not necessarily a compliment but Sehun will surely take it as one. He thinks Chanyeol has the humor of an intellectual and chooses to ignore that Chanyeol will laugh at a dick joke if it floats his way or ‘that’s what she said’ jokes.

Things about  Sehun that no one really noticed is his attentiveness, his loyalty goes pretty far unless there is a valid reason to break that loyalty. Such as his happiness is suffering and it’s becoming unhealthy. He’s smart, he can do math problems in his head in under five minutes, recite chemical reactions, perform freestyle poetry, just about anything anyone could think of. He didn’t like to show that, however, he liked to keep that hidden as some sort of surprise for anyone who could bother to stay after seeing his shitty humor or brattiness, especially if they could overlook the sarcasm. Sehun is a man of many layers, he has a hard time finding anyone to even remotely match that.

 

His keys dropped into the bowl as he stepped into the apartment, kicking off his damp sneakers on the worn out welcome mat just by the front door. A hand ran through his hair as he drearily looked around at the grey casted minimalist apartment. For some reason, despite Sehun being so many warm wonderful things, he liked his apartment to appear minimal and grey. Some white colors flashed here and there but even still, there was no real difference between that and the color grey except a shade. 

He flipped on a light, the yellow light made it look slightly more colorful and it was days like this he could just go down to Ikea and purchase some yellow pillows to compliment the grey but he never did. Instead, he sat down on his grey couch, flipped on the TV, scanned through channels before deciding Netflix would be the option. It was a routine, he knew that routine would never change and he could save himself time by simply clicking onto Netflix first thing but he finds it humorous when he settles on Netflix. 

Netflix is probably the best thing that’s ever been invented, Sehun’s pretty sure of that. He watches enough movies and TV shows to cover ten people who don’t. Kyungsoo would be one, that drives Sehun up the wall but he pays it no mind since Kyungsoo is his best friend, best friends aren’t supposed to be exactly alike. Sehun wouldn’t mind if his soulmate didn’t watch movies or TV shows like a religion, but he definitely had to have them watch Marvel movies and be an Ironman fan, or Peter Quill. He knows the universe definitely didn’t do him right if his soulmate didn’t even know what the hell an Ironman was. 

He was currently watching some British show, God knows why since it was a bunch of teenagers who had parents who didn’t seem to mind that their kids were out running wild in Bristol with drugs, alcohol, or even just plain out running away. Skins was definitely problematic, but since Sehun started it he found that he had to finish it and he was in too deep to stop watching it. Right now though, he felt like Stranger Things would be the way to go since it would make the thunder and lightning that whipped into the grey clouds outside cooler and scarier. Sehun was a fan of making things better in his mind, especially something like a winter storm. 

His finger hovered over the play button until his phone vibrated with a text, oddly enough it was Kyungsoo, saying Jongin would be coming by tomorrow during their lunch. Sehun smiled, he was excited, it wasn’t everyday for Kyungsoo to meet someone. Although, he wondered how their connection would be now that they know they aren’t soulmates, but he was sure Kyungsoo could feel that the fire in his body would never be present for either and it would most likely be a standard relationship with no real depth. 

Connection and depth, two things Sehun knows very well about. Connection is simple, it can’t be forced and it can be sparked between anybody. The greatest person in the world, a saint, could  have a connection the devil themselves and that’s how it would go. Their connection would always be a good one, they could bond and they could feel things for each other but as far as depth goes, it will always remain in the shallow ends of water.

Sehun replied with a smiley face, he didn’t like texting Kyungsoo with actual words since Kyungsoo would reply with a paragraph lecture on how to behave. Kyungsoo, a man with too many text words and not enough verbal words. Kyungsoo, fortunately, took the smiley face and didn’t bother sending a lecture which meant Sehun could start his show in peace. 

 

“So Eleven like, ran away and found her mother right? Right so-” “Sehun shut the fuck up.” Kyungsoo cut Sehun off the next day, Sehun was already jittering. He didn’t like coffee but on mornings when Kyungsoo was hard pressed about him showing up bright and early at seven, he surely did sweeten it enough to make him forget it was coffee and give him just the right buzz. “C’mon Soo, Chanyeol is too far behind for me to even mention a damn thing to him. He’s still on season one.” 

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to be listening much to Sehun anymore, but the taller male could notice the shorter was definitely nervous. “Hey, Kyungsoo, what’s wrong.” Sehun nudged him, tone turning into a calmer one that made the other exhale loudly from his nose. “I remember you telling me that you and Chanyeol didn’t have a deep connection, I think it’ll be this way between Jongin-ah and I. I don’t want to really like him.” Sehun nudged him again, sitting on the counter in front of him with his legs swinging. “You’re going to really like him, but it won’t go to anything as drastic as love because that connection won’t get there. If you don’t last, you don’t last, your soulmate exists.” 

These are all things he told himself when Chanyeol and him discovered they weren’t soulmates, they all made sense definitely and when it came to moving on he definitely felt everything he said was right. Surely, it hurt, and surely it didn’t feel good to know that Chanyeol met his soulmate not a few weeks after. The burn soothed not a month later, fate had it’s way of telling Sehun that he wasn’t the one by making sure the connection didn’t take any roots. 

Kyungsoo nodded, looking up at Sehun with a short sigh. “Get off the fucking counter how many times do I have to tell you.” Sehun giggled, shaking his head, head tilted to the side as he used his best cute bratty tone. “How many times do I never listen? Now, anyway! Eleven found her wack ass mom and then she was like communicating with her through her mind.” 

Kyungsoo stared blankly up at Sehun, nothing new, Sehun got the blank looks all the time if he were being honest with himself. “I’m going to shoot Chanyeol a text telling him to catch up, I’m tired of listening to you talk about twelve year olds that are obsessed with waffles and dungeons and dragons.” Sehun whined, but the whine got cut short when he heard the door opened, signaling the small brass bell hung by a string above it. 

Quickly, he slid off the counter, offering his best pretty smile and a wave to Chanyeol himself. “Yeollie, you haven’t been here in awhile.” Chanyeol shrugged, goofy grin taking place as always. Sehun was surprised Chanyeol even showed up since recently he had been busy producing music for work, also why Chanyeol hadn’t caught up on Stranger Things. “I missed you, Soo’s okay.” Kyungsoo shot him a glare, already working on Chanyeol’s usual order of a large Americano coffee with four creams. “For the love of God, get caught up on Stranger Things, I’m so tired of hearing Sehun talk about it.” 

Sehun took Chanyeol’s perfect in cash amount, as always, and returned the receipt. Chanyeol’s loud laugh filled the rather quiet place that would be loud in about five more minutes since 7:30 is the morning rush start. “Why? Don’t you have any sense of TV, Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol ran his large hands through his shaggy hair before taking the brown cardboard cup in his hand. “He doesn’t, why did you even ask?” Sehun commented before Kyungsoo could think to form a word. 

Kyungsoo glared at the both of them, starting the foam machine to cleanse one last time as he muttered a ‘fuck you’ beneath his breath making both  Chanyeol and Sehun laugh. “See you later, Sehun, I’ll catch up today.” Sehun smiled with a wave, watching as Chanyeol left the shop in which Kyungsoo looked to Sehun. “You don’t feel anything for him at all anymore?” Sehun shook his head, looking over at Kyungsoo. “The connection wasn’t deep, it felt like I was casually dating him for two years, for some reason we couldn’t form that depth. Why would I?” Sehun, always honest, Kyungsoo knew that and took that word to heart with a final convinced nod.

 

The tip jar was almost full by about 11 in the morning, the rush this morning was a lot for them to handle considering it was only the two of them. Sehun kept outstanding customer service, Kyungsoo delivered orders quickly and efficiently, not a single complaint. Sehun rang up one last order, their lunch was always at 11, but one last customer came in. “And that’ll be it, lunch now.” Sehun grinned, teeth resting on his bottom lip until the door opened. 

An adonis is the best way Sehun could describe the man who walked in. Sun-kissed skin, black hair that was thick and parted to the left, lips so full and so pink. Almost pillow like in appearance, wide brown eyes that seemed to look fond and soft, carved cheekbones, broad chest, biceps that filled the tight sweater he wore and legs that filled the skinny jeans perfectly. Sehun was sure the most perfect man just walked through the door, it seemed like the world spun around him and especially now when he smiled. “Kyungsoo.” The man uttered, voice deep and smooth like honey. Sehun knew his mouth was agape, and he knew he was staring but he couldn’t find it in him to stop. “Jongin, hey, we’ll be done in a sec.”

Sehun mentally heard a record scratch in his mind as he blinked out of his trance. Jongin, Jongin who’s basically dating Kyungsoo, the most beautiful man alive is dating Kyungsoo. His brain was reasoning with him at a 100 miles an hour, frantically trying to find anything he can to make this make sense until he looked up to see Jongin staring at him too. 

A pink tint covered the other’s cheeks as he quickly looked away, Sehun smiled to himself, opening the cash register up to take out the drawer. Into the office he went, under the desk and into the safe he deposited the drawer before stepping back out to see Kyungsoo talking with Jongin at the table. 

“Oh yeah, um, Jongin this is my best friend Sehun, Sehun this is my boyfriend Jongin.”  Sehun stepped out from around the counter, holding his hand out for the other to shake. His hand seemed to fit nicely into his, the slightly calloused hand felt nice against his own in the firm handshake as they spoke in soft tones a ‘nice to meet you.’ Sehun retracted his hand first, looking to Kyungsoo with a soft smile, wiggling his body excitedly since his stomach was angry with hunger. “Lunch?”

Lunch was definitely distracting, Jongin was the type of beautiful that made your breath hitch and heart stop every time he even looked over in  Sehun’s general direction. Definitely not a good thing since Jongin and Kyungsoo were dating, but Sehun could already see their connection would be the same as his with Chanyeol. “So, how’d you two meet?”

Sehun asked through a dumpling, red oil dumplings happen to be one of Sehun’s favorites, and today he chose to eat it to soothe himself. Definitely working, Sehun believes food is the cure to everything. “Oh, we met at a museum actually.” Sehun’s eyebrows furrowed, Sehun’s thing was museums, Kyungsoo preferred botanical gardens. “Museum?”

Kyungsoo nodded, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah I was walking through to go to the botanical garden,” Sehun prided himself at knowing his best friend, he knew Kyungsoo would never step foot into a museum, “when Jongin and I bumped into one another, exchanged numbers, parted.” Sehun looked over at Kyungsoo with a ‘what the fuck’ face, holding his hand up to gesture to Jongin. 

“You meet someone this hot, exchange numbers, and walk away? I get your thing isn’t museums but what the fuck, Soo?” Sehun heard Jongin giggle, he looked over to see the other hiding his red face tilt down to look at his food, the action alone brought a warm feeling to his chest and fond smile to his face. Kyungsoo laughed quietly, shaking his head moving his hands in the same manner of a form of ‘no’. “No no, I wanted to but you know.” Sehun glared at him, dumpling in chopsticks right in front of his mouth. “You know what? What I know is you left a beautiful human to wander a museum alone for a fucking garden you could have gone to the next day. Disappointed, not surprised.” Jongin giggled more and oh, the burn of warmth felt nice in his chest. 

“Shut up Sehun, do you want to talk about how you met Chanyeol?” Sehun looked at him with wide eyes, holding up his fingers, swallowing the dumpling before speaking. “First of all, he’s my ex from like almost a year ago. Second of all, that idiot ran into me so that’s why I spilled my bubble tea all over him, third of all he’s an idiot.” Jongin looked up now, laughing quietly. “Soo, if Chanyeol ran into him then isn’t that Chanyeol’s fault? Sehun couldn’t have predicted that play out.” Sehun looked at Kyungsoo impressed, gesturing to Jongin with a warm smile. “I like him, he’s an intellectual.”

Kyungsoo ran his fingers through his hair, looking over at Jongin with a soft sigh. “Didn’t I tell you that you have to be on my side? His brattiness is a disease.” Sehun looked at him with raised eyebrows, but Jongin spoke before. “And didn’t I tell you that you’ll manage?” Sehun giggled lightly, leaning back into the booth, looking at the shadows on the contours of Jongin’s face. He’s definitely beautiful, definitely everything Sehun would ever want in a person looks wise. “I like him, he can stay.” Sehun said definitively, Jongin grinned, looking over at Kyungsoo. “I can stay.” He said cutely, Sehun was sure the warmth from his chest wasn’t going to vacate anytime soon if Jongin was around.

 

Kyungsoo took the time to place orders while Sehun made the drinks, spending a few more seconds on art on the coffee even though no one ever admired the art since a lid went right on top of it but it made Sehun content. “So, what’d you think of him?” Kyungsoo asked, putting a receipt of the order on the clipboard in front of him. Sehun eyed the latte order, drizzling caramel at the bottom of the cup to melt into the coffee. “I said he could stay, couldn’t I?” 

Kyungsoo chuckled, body turned to watch Sehun drip coffee into the cup. “So you like him?” Sehun nodded, pulling it off after the amount dripped into it, placing the steam machine into it to froth the top in order to drizzle in caramel. “I do, he seems really nice, Soo. I’m not saying this to damper but too bad he isn’t your soulmate you know?” Kyungsoo shrugged, nudging Sehun lightly as Sehun placed it on the pickup side of the counter. “I think I understand what you meant about the whole connection thing. There’s no way he could be my soulmate, that depth won’t come and for some reason I don’t want it to.”

Sehun nodded, turning his body to face Kyungsoo. “Soulmates, weird thing.” Kyungsoo scoot closer, looking up at Sehun. “When will you write to yours? Why are you so scared?” Sehun shrugged, looking down at his hands that were perfectly clean and unmarked. “I’m not ready, and apparently neither is he.” Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed, looking down at Sehun. “He hasn’t wrote to you?” Sehun shook his head, looking at Kyungsoo. “No, so, maybe he’s scared like me or maybe he’s like me wants to find him without writing. Who knows. Better question, has your soulmate contacted you?” 

Kyungsoo shyly nodded, running a hand over his head. “Yeah, he seems nice and all, but we haven’t talked in a few months. We’re not fated to meet yet.” Sehun turned his head up now to inhale quietly, soulmate talk with Kyungsoo always led to him telling Sehun to at least say hi. The thought alone made his stomach churn uncomfortably and his hands shake with nerves, but today it seemed different. Or maybe it was the fact that a customer walked up making Kyungsoo think about something else, whatever it was, Sehun was happy.

 

Chanyeol decided to come over tonight, bright orange tee shirt and newly dyed electric blue hair brought more color to the space than Sehun thought. Orange definitely didn’t compliment grey, maybe yellow, maybe Ikea would have yellow throw pillows he thought. “Stranger Things?” Chanyeol asked, plopping down on the couch with pizza box on his lap, Sehun sitting next to him.

His brain kept thinking about Jongin, how pretty he was and how he would do absolutely anything right now to hear that laugh again. He didn’t feel that was about Chanyeol on a first meeting, or anytime actually. Their dating was so casual that Sehun just liked him and thought he was pretty, but anything past that it didn’t stick. 

“Earth to Oh Sehun, c’mon, you’ve been dying for us to watch this show together.” Chanyeol said a little disheartened at the lack of attention Sehun gave to Chanyeol. Sehun looked over at him, eyebrows furrowing together. “Yeah, yeah go ahead.” Chanyeol stared at him for a minute, lips pursed into a line before carefully choosing his words. “What’s bothering you?” Sehun shook his head, sighing out quietly. “Stupid stuff.” Chanyeol opened the box of pizza, taking a slice and putting it in front of Sehun. “Take it, talk to Chanyeollie.” 

Sehun huffed, he knew arguing he was fine with Chanyeol was pointless so he took the slice. “When you met Taeyeon, did you think about her the rest of the day and when she laughed did you feel like you’d do anything to hear that again?” Chanyeol’s eyes went wide, almost knocking the pizza onto the floor as he slightly lifted his leg out of excitement. “Did you meet your fucking soulmate today?” Sehun quickly shook his head, making a gesture with his hands for Chanyeol to relax. “No, idiot, I’m asking questions. I want to know what it feels like.” 

Chanyeol eyed him, but Sehun seemed to play the poker face smoothly. “Yeah, it felt like that. Oh and her smile, I’d do anything to make her smile.” Sehun really liked Jongin’s smile, thought it was the most beautiful one he had ever seen. The thought made him sick to his stomach, Jongin definitely wasn’t his soulmate but the fact that he even thought this way about Kyungsoo’s boyfriend made him sick. “Thanks Yeollie. Stranger Things, hm?”

He rushed to change the conversation to something that would take the heat off him, he’d crack if Chanyeol kept asking anymore questions. Chanyeol had that way about him and it was something Sehun really hated since he couldn’t keep anything to himself, including secrets between him and someone else if Chanyeol pressed enough.

 

His bed was comfortable, a king size with white bed sheets, white egyptian cotton, light grey pillows that weren’t feather stuffed but Sehun could pretend. Usually, sleep swept onto him relatively easy since Sehun wasn’t a person who ever fought sleep. Rather he embraced it, he liked to look pretty and the first step to that is beauty sleep. Tonight though, he laid staring at his ceiling, it had to be just past midnight and the only thing on his mind was how Chanyeol said how he felt for Jongin was how the latter felt for his soulmate. 

A stupid assumption Sehun thinks, that Jongin could be his soulmate just because he felt a few stronger feelings and he had a testimony of slight accuracy from one person. One person out of the millions who have found their soulmate and all explain their feelings in a different way. Sehun could possibly just find Jongin suffocatingly beautiful (which he is, devastatingly so) and Jongin could be everything Sehun isn’t into. That’s a large possibility he didn’t allow himself to think about until right now at just past midnight or so.

He forced his eyes to close, an irritated sigh falling from his lips as he turned onto his pillow, cheek pressed against untouched pillowcase to feel a cold soft surface to his face. Sehun tried with all his will but his eyes even started to water, telling him that sleep wasn’t about to take him and he needed to definitely think more. Thinking more is everything he didn’t want to do, but he didn’t really have a say in the matter, he’s noticed. 

Back on his back, eyes back on the ceiling that was painted with silver rays of the moonlight. He pat his stomach until finally deciding to drag out his phone and load up Instagram. One of Sehun’s favorite social media apps that he updates, overly proud of his 5k followers solely based on the premise of his attractiveness. He scrolled through until he saw his recommended, first on the list “kjongins” and sure enough, there he was with a brown toy poodle licking his face in the icon. 

He stared at it for a long while, it wouldn’t be weird to follow him. They’re eventually going to be friends since Sehun spends most of his time around Kyungsoo and if Jongin is going to be around Kyungsoo, they’ll have to be friends. He knew himself well enough to know he was eventually going to ask the other if he had social media. Sehun had a theory that if a person didn’t have any social media (even Facebook was acceptable) they were hiding something since who doesn’t have social media unless they’re old. Which wasn’t really a valid excuse because his grandmother has Facebook and she’s almost 87. 

Sehun’s finger eventually out of last minute reflex pressed on the follow button where it showed a ‘requested’, now he knew for sure he wouldn’t get any sleep since he’d be waiting anxiously until the next morning to see if Jongin accepted Sehun’s request and followed back. The whole thing was tedious, he internally cursed himself as he rolled onto his stomach, face shoved into his pillow as he groaned.

Thinking Jongin was beautiful aside, Jongin barely knew Sehun and now here Sehun was following on Instagram. Sehun is confident, definitely, but he knew when something called for a socially awkward situation and this one was definitely one. He closed his eyes, quietly hoping that maybe if he kept breathing into the pillow he would suffocate on his own carbon dioxide and knock out or something so he could forget how he just followed Jongin on Instagram, one day after meeting him. No, not even, not even a full 24 hours, Sehun’s brain recited to him further making him want to to suffocate into his pillow even more than before, so he exhaled faster and deeper but nothing was working. A small groan of disappointment muffled, but he didn’t move, he still had small hope he would pass out if he just stayed buried in his pillow.

After about five minutes of that, the only thing he noticed was that he was starting to sweat from heating up his pillowcase which made his face hot so back onto his back he went, hands over his face this time. He rubbed his palms down against his face, fingers pressing hard into his forehead, letting out a groan as he thrashed his legs in the bed. “Stupid.” He muttered, sighing out into his hands as they slid off his face, arms laying beside him on the bed. Eyes met the ceiling, this time he spoke aloud. “If there’s a god up there, why did you do me like this?” On all days for this to happen, why a Wednesday? Why not a Friday where he could come in late to work, no, a damn Wednesday.

The circumstances he was in was pitiful, he even put his phone face down so he wouldn’t be tempted to just stare at a phone screen all night until his eyes burned. Deciding to roll back on his stomach, cheek on the pillow this time and closed his eyes, thinking of everything but Jongin and Instagram, especially avoiding both topics in the same thought.

 

He was late, an hour to be exact. He rushed in, Kyungsoo glaring at the door already but there was someone in front of the counter. “Sorry, um, couldn’t sleep.” Sehun still hadn’t looked at his phone, a whole day without staring at his phone. He didn’t even look after he turned off his alarm to sleep through it. He didn’t look to check the time, he just got up and put on clothes and came down. 

Even to further increase his luck, the man at the counter was Jongin himself. “Morning, Sehun-ah.” Jongin’s voice kind, soft, sweet making Sehun smile without a second thought. “Morning, Jongin.” Kyungsoo sighed out now, punching Sehun’s arm. “Stop being fucking late, asshole.” Jongin whined lightly, looking at Kyungsoo with a pout. “He couldn’t sleep, let up.” Sehun smiled again, rubbing his arm, deciding now to look at his phone to see a follow back and accepted follow from Jongin. 

He sighed audibly in relief, making both look at him with confused expressions to which he waved them off with a wave of a hand. “How’re you guys?” He asked, cleaning the frother. Kyungsoo spoke first, shrugging. “You know, Thursday mornings aren’t like Wednesday's.” Fucking Wednesday, Sehun internally cringed. Jongin now, smiling lightly, tone a lot sweeter to hear than anybody else’s, Sehun noticed. “Good, probably just chill here for a while if that’s alright with you.” He looked specifically to Sehun, making Sehun feel hot on his back but he chuckled carelessly. Nonchalance in public, something he was good at. “I’m not the no man, that’s Kyungsoo.  Stay as long as you’d like.”

Jongin and Sehun had eye contact that Sehun knew lasted too long, but he wasn’t about to complain. “Can you handle the front? I wasn’t done with taxes.” Kyungsoo turned to Sehun, making the other nod with a little smile and snort. “I always do, go away.” Kyungsoo waved to Jongin before stepping into the back office, Sehun looked around at the moderately filled place, then behind him to where there was a chair. “Come around the counter and sit in the chair.” Jongin looked at him wide eyed, standing on his tiptoes to peer behind the barista counter, a whisper to his voice. “There?”

Sehun laughed, nodding, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, here, come on.” Jongin nodded, timidly walking behind and took a seat on the chair. “So, how do you feel about movies and TV shows?” Sehun asked, turning his back to the door to give all his complete undivided attention to Jongin, the other definitely noticed. “I really like them, yeah, they’re super cool. Stranger Things has been a recent favorite.” 

Sehun felt his eyes go wide, whispering to Jongin. “Soo hates that show.” Jongin put a hand over his mouth, shaking his head with a whine. “No no no, why did you tell me that!” Sehun laughed, Jongin laughing along with him, head tilted to the side. “Because, I am an honest man, and I think you should know what you’re getting into when it comes to dating the guy.” Jongin pursed his lips in thin smile that was one to repress happiness for a moment. “Let me guess, you’re the best friend who puts him down while talking him up?” 

He rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head. “As if, but enough about Soo. I want to actually know about you. You know we’re going to be friends if you hang around my best one.” Jongin rested his elbow on knee, humming in thought before shrugging. “I dance.” That stopped Sehun from smiling, face going serious. “You dance?” Dance and his studio will always be a dream of his, not that he’d mention his studio aloud. “Yeah, ballet, do you?” Jongin looked serious, but intrigued, just like Sehun could imagine he did. A shy smile brushed onto his face, hand on the back of his neck that soon bent to reach his shoulder. “Yeah, I do hip hop, ballet is beautiful.” 

Jongin lifted his foot to nudge Sehun’s shin. “Hip hop is super cool, why didn’t Kyungsoo tell me you dance?” Sehun shrugged, sitting up on the counter and lifted his foot to nudge Jongin’s back. “Not sure, I don’t know, maybe we can dance sometime.” Jongin’s cheeks seem to turn a cherry red, Sehun liked seeing that shade. “Maybe. Do you like dogs?” Sehun nodded, smiling widely. “Yeah! I do, I had one named Vivi, she was super great. You?” Jongin squealed softly, hands over his cheeks. “I have one, Manggu, the other two are with my parents.”

This was pretty great, Sehun thinks. He gets along swimmingly with Jongin and it’s only been two topics of conversation. “Coffee or tea?” Jongin grimaced, “tea.” Sehun grinned “me too.” This startled a laugh out of Jongin, a beautiful one that filled the store with warmth that Sehun felt like he could practically see. “You own a coffee shop and you prefer tea?” Sehun laughed, cheeks heating. “Yeah, I just wanted to be in business with Kyungsoo.” 

Jongin giggled, simmering down as he leaned back into the chair. Sehun stared at him for a few moments, humming out quietly until smiling. “One place in the world you would go to, and why?” Jongin put his knees up on the chair, wrapping his arms around his legs. Sehun always wanted to go to Italy, then maybe Paris, but that was just him. “Paris, romance and beauty.” Sehun felt his heart skip a beat. “That’s my second option.” He said softly, Jongin looked at him. 

“Your first?” Sehun rubbed his nose. “Italy, it looks beautiful.” Jongin giggled softly, “I’ve always wanted to go there, too.” Sehun felt his heart strike with warmth, it couldn’t possibly be that simple. A soulmate is someone you have things in common with, want to see their smile or hear their laugh anytime you can, and you just think about them like a permanent memory stain. Jongin really could not be Sehun’s soulmate, definitely not, he insisted to himself. 

“Play video games?” Jongin nodded, brushing his nails against his shirt. “Not to toot my own horn but I won first place in three video game competitions.” Sehun made an ‘ooh’ noise, wiggling his eyebrows. “Guess I finally have competition.” Jongin smiled, Sehun was really liking that smile. “Guess you do. Hey, wanna exchange numbers so we can text and hang out sometime?” 

Sehun nodded, too fast if he asked himself but he wasn’t going to question. Instead, he yanked his iPhone from his pocket, taking Jongin’s and put in his name with a coffee emoji to show who he is. Jongin seemed to do the same but with a dog emoji, Sehun thought the diamond for perfection would have been better. “Great, well, I have to get going, tell Soo I said bye. Hope to hear from you, Sehun.” Sehun nodded, slipping his phone in his back pocket with a little happy giggle. “Okay, you will, I promise.” 

 

His apartment, specifically his bedroom, is witnessing plenty of social awkwardness from him as he stared at his phone screen. It was pretty hopeless at this point, he had erased five different greetings, three emojis, four sentences, then back to another greeting that sat waiting to be sent. Sehun sighed, thinking to himself that maybe this shouldn’t be that hard and never in his entire 23 years of living had he ever had a problem sending a text. 

Jongin seemed to make awkwardness boil out of him, it was either that or intrigue and either one didn’t sound the best to Sehun. Sehun wanted Jongin to sound like Just Jongin, Normal Guy. But no, here he was, staring at the simple ‘hey’ as if it were the end of the world. As if it were like waiting for a soulmate to mark back on his skin.

Sehun sighed out quietly, looking away from his phone, pursing his lips together and decided right then and there to send it. He shut his phone, placing it face down as he balled onto the couch staring at it. He expected a slight delay, definitely, no one ever text back as fast as he would prefer but his phone vibrated a few seconds later. 

He liked that almost too much, it was almost like the world definitely knew that this would be right up Sehun’s alley since he felt his stomach bubble up in warmth. His fingers shyly grabbed at his phone to look at it, and sure enough on his screen is a hey with a smiley emoji. He sighed, he knew he should have sent one but it’s okay he can make up for it now. He typed back a how’re you, smiley face emoji this time and Jongin typed back ‘tired, existentially’.

Sense of humor, Sehun already prides himself on his humor but perhaps someone else has good humor if they can make him laugh since making Sehun laugh from a joke, even one as small as that, was a task. The text conversation carried from there, lasting until both of them went to bed. Sehun learned that Jongin is soft, bold, spontaneous, and overall every piece he was missing to himself. 

He found it good that Jongin commented that instead of him, Jongin said that Sehun seemed to have every aspect of himself that he was missing. Where Jongin was spontaneous, Sehun planned ahead, where Sehun was confident, Jongin was shy, where Jongin was bold, Sehun took didn’t speak out too much. Where they were both loud, it appeared as if they had a quality to soften one another out to be mellow and humble. Something both had noticed apparently as their conversation went on.

What  Sehun also noticed is that Jongin happens to be one of the cutest people alive when he talks about anything he’s interested or passionate about or his emoji choice or when he answers back fast or sends a meme. Sehun laid in bed that night, eyes watching the ceiling, breathing out quietly as his mind thought through their entire conversation. Jongin seemed too good to be true, too good to be on this planet and for the love of God it drove Sehun a little crazy. “I’m screwed.”


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks, two weeks since Jongin has entered Sehun’s life and he has definitely been counting the days, minutes, seconds, milliseconds if possible. He wasn’t meaning to count, and he definitely didn’t mean to be so excited when their casual text conversations turned into slightly deeper ones that involve actually elaborating on the contents of their day. Sehun really liked reading about Jongin’s day, especially since the other always had plenty to say. Jongin’s career as a dance teacher was a simple one but sometimes he had stories about his students that were in the age groups of five to fifteen, and it always makes Sehun warm to just think about Jongin teaching kids how to do a twirl. 

It didn’t feel like enough, though. Sehun really wanted to hang out with Jongin at a mall or go watch a movie or chill in an arcade, play video games at his house. He wanted to be better friends or at least connect better, get to know him better and it was all definitely out of selfish desire as well. 

Selfish in the sense that he didn’t want to get to know him better because he was dating his best friend. Sehun wanted to get to know Jongin better because Jongin is one of the most beautiful people Sehun had ever gotten the pleasure to see, Jongin’s way of talking captivates Sehun’s full attention. He also likes the way Jongin really seems to listen to Sehun, and everything that Sehun says upholds importance. Sehun really wanted to learn absolutely everything about Kim  Jongin, he wanted to know everything even as little to what type of paint Jongin would paint his bedroom wall. 

 

“Do you understand what it’s like to be friends with someone so beautiful that it feels like a punch in the mouth to see them?” Sehun asked around a mouthful of pizza, staring at Chanyeol and Taeyeon who both laughed at the comment. Sehun though remained serious, staring at them unamused so they quieted down. Taeyeon gently nudged Sehun’s foot, voice light and soft, thankfully since Sehun was already wired up and Chanyeol’s loudness would only do worse.

“Keyword, friend. Just ask him to hang out, see a movie or something so it’s dark.” Taeyeon shrugged, Chanyeol laughed at the idea but Sehun only thought of it as pure genius. A dark room, lit only by a silver screen, and if he chose a dark grungy movie he would barely be able to make out Jongin’s facial features and then go to a dingy dark restaurant after, it would be so perfect. He could get to know Jongin without feeling his mouth is going bone dry. 

“Elope her, Yeol.” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows, talking with a mouthful of pizza making Sehun cringe. “You thought that was a good idea.” He deadpanned, making Sehun grin rather obnoxiously that his eyes started to form little crescent shapes. “If it’s dark, I won’t be shocked to see his face and then I can learn about him, and _then_ I can really be his friend and then maybe I won’t panic on sending him a text message alone. Then maybe, we can hang out in brighter circumstances after I realize he’s not just some beautiful person who seems to be the push to my pull, oddly.” 

Taeyeon stuck her tongue at her fiance, but Sehun paid little mind, instead he decided to pull out his phone. Movies, he googled movies first to at least have this prepared. Star Wars, or Thor. Jongin seemed like the type to like both those movies and that alone made his heart rate accelerate and his palms sweat. Sehun shook that from his head, he was constantly thinking about how perfect Jongin is and that’s the point of becoming his friend. To make him a more realistic person that’s like Sehun and knock him off Sehun’s mental pedestal he subconsciously built up for him.

His phone stayed in his hand as he stared at the screen, he wasn’t aware that eyes were on him but they watched as he took a shaky breath and went to his messages. Thumb pressing lightly on his conversation with Jongin which wasn’t anything too exciting, just dogs. ‘Hey, Star Wars and Thor is out, wanna see one with me?’ He sent it and clicked his screen off, face swelling with raging heat as he refused to make eye contact with the couple across him. 

“You’re so red, Sehunnie. This is some crush you have going, you weren’t this cute with me.” Chanyeol commented teasingly, making Sehun lift his head to throw him a glare the equivalent of a thousand knives penetrating his skin. Chanyeol nodded, shutting up by eating another slice before Taeyeon commented, not teasingly. “Seems like a crush, Sehun.” Sehun rolled his eyes, emitting out a sigh, holding his head after wiping his greasy hand. “How is it a crush if I barely know a thing about him?” Taeyeon looked over to Chanyeol who was somewhere else mentally, she smiled, and that was all Sehun needed to know. 

It was a fated crush for her, she didn’t need to know much about Chanyeol at first since they were just fated to be. Sehun didn’t think that was the case with Jongin, clearly, Jongin is just some ethereal being that seemed to be everything Sehun was needing. “It may be that way for you but Jongin is not my soulmate. I don’t even think I have one.” They both shot him an incredulous look. “You have one, shut up.” Chanyeol said, making Sehun giggle at the pout on the other’s face. “Alright, I’ll shut up.”

His face got red at the vibration of his phone, he felt his breath get caught in his throat as his eyes stared down at it. “Look at it, Sehunnie.” Chanyeol said quietly, Sehun could hear the grin in his voice so slowly he picked up the phone between his fingers. ‘I’ve seen Thor, but Star Wars yes please. That cute little theater on Main has a showing tonight at eight, if you’re free then.’ Sehun squealed, almost shooting up until his knee hit the table but he didn’t feel the numbing pain of it. “Tonight, at eight, Star Wars!” Sehun almost shouted, looking down at the two who had this knowing look in their eyes. He didn’t like that look, not really, but he ignored it since the way his heart was racing told him to just be happy.

“Answer back and say you can go now.” Taeyeon urged, knowing look still dancing in her eyes and the more they looked at him like that, he hated it. He knew they were thinking he was going to catch some feelings for Jongin but that was forbidden. Kyungsoo is definitely still a person, and Kyungsoo is definitely still dating Jongin. Hence why Jongin even comes into the coffee shops on Thursdays. Sehun’s noticed that those are his busiest days, and yes, he only needed two weeks to learn that while Kyungsoo still didn’t catch on.

‘Yeah, I’d like that, we can go for dinner after and stuff so if you want I can pick you up?’ Sehun sent, bubbles appeared with a little ‘I’d like that, a lot.’ Then followed up with an address to which Sehun sent a promise to show. His plans for this unfortunate Saturday was to sit at home, stare at buildings for a dance studio he would never have, but this Saturday became the best one he would have and it hadn’t even started, yet.

 

Jongin’s apartment complex is definitely a cute one. A few floors but oddly enough, he could see which is Jongin’s just because while other apartment balconies had their plants inside, he knew Jongin’s was the one where the plants were out struggling in the winter half brown, some a thriving green. He sat in his car, rehearsing so many times in his mind that this was just him getting to know Jongin so he could knock him off the mental pedestal he had Jongin on for being so ethereally beautiful. It was nauseating, how he saw the world of Jongin when he knew little to nothing about him. 

Sure enough though, those thoughts of calm reassurance when Jongin walked out in a burgundy sweater, black scarf around his neck, legs in black skinny jeans and black hair bouncing in the cold winter wind. Sehun knew that it was freezing outside, the way Jongin’s body tensed when the wind nipped was enough but when the male smiled to Sehun from outside the car, Sehun could swear he felt like the world around him was drowning in warmth and sun rays.

“Hi Sehunnie, hunnie, hun hun, Sehunnie.” Jongin said the last name confidently, the trial and error process made a shy giggle emit from Sehun’s lips. His eyes went wide, inwardly groaning that he actually had the audacity to giggle and quickly, he pulled it together. “Hi Nini, are you ready for this?” Jongin nodded, putting on his seatbelt which gave the gesture for Sehun to go ahead and drive off. Sehun hummed, listening to Jongin speak out in his honey like voice. “Yeah, I love Star Wars, what made you want to see it with me?”

Sehun panicked, gripping the steering wheel tighter, he didn’t mean to sound like Chanyeol as he let out a little ‘um’ that lasted a few seconds too long for a normal um. “Kyungsoo doesn’t like Star Wars, and I want to get to know you.” No lies, but the first part definitely made Jongin gasp and slightly sit up in the passenger seat. “He doesn’t like Star Wars? Sehun, is he okay?” Sehun laughed at that, shrugging, looking over to Jongin who looked at him so attentively. Sehun wanted to drown in that look. “No, he never has been. I’m sorry you’re dealing with it.”

Point one, Jongin likes Star Wars and Marvel comics. “Do you like Ironman?” He asked, peering over to Jongin whose face seemed to light up instantly. “Who doesn’t? He’s easily the best.” Sehun felt his cheeks start to hurt with how hard he smiled, really, this was the best day. Point two, Jongin likes Ironman. “He’s the best I know, can’t believe people even dare say otherwise.” Jongin giggled, Sehun took a turn now starting to go down the thin street to the vintage style theater.   
“Anything you’ve just been dying to know about me?” Sehun asked, he couldn’t think of anything else of importance right now, or maybe his brain was just too flustered at Jongin hitting his points he didn’t know if he could handle him hitting another. “Yes, actually, favorite food?” Sehun shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows. “I like dumplings.” Jongin smiled, nodding, leaning more into the seat. “I like fried chicken the best.” Point three, he likes fried chicken, Sehun may not favor it but he likes it enough to make it a point. “What’s your favorite tea?” Jongin grinned, humming fondly at the thought. “Chamomile is my favorite. Earl Grey, close second.” 

Earl Grey, Sehun’s favorite tea. “I really like earl grey.” Point four, same tea tastes to an extent. Jongin looked over at him, smiling with a little nudge that wasn’t too strong to mess with his driving. “We have a lot more in common than Kyungsoo let on.” Sehun furrowed his eyebrows, pulling into the parking lot to park in front of the vintage style theater. 

The theater was one Sehun really liked, Sehun liked hole in the wall places or places with character. The theater still had a light up premiere sign with letters that had to be manually changed out by getting on a ladder. The ticket stand was still a booth, a grate over the window, doors on either sides with posters of vintage font saying the titles. 

“You talk to Kyungsoo about me?” Sehun turned off the car, getting out while the other nodded, running over to the front of the car. “Yeah, I find you interesting. I guess this is what I needed, I wanted to get to know you.” Jongin looked like he wanted to speak, but Sehun softly hummed with a heat on his cheeks. His face felt like it was hot in comparison to the harsh nipping wind of the winter in Seoul. “I wanted to get to know you too, I just kind of lived off our text messages. Trying to piece information about you, you know.” Jongin giggled quietly, nudging his. 

“We’re kind of silly, I did the same.” Sehun needed to change the topic, he was becoming fond. “Like the theater?” Jongin nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “I come here a lot, can’t believe I haven’t seen you before.” Sehun’s eyes went wide, walking over to the ticket stand. “You come here? No one I know has ever come here besides me. I love places like this.” Jongin giggled faintly, nudging against Sehun lightly with his elbow. “I like small places, I like hole in the walls.” Sehun stared at him for a moment, the silver rays of the moon shined down on him and Sehun could only swear that Jongin looked ethereal, and maybe it had to do with the way Jongin seemed to be a beautiful match for him.

He turned away, deciding to stay silent as he bought the two tickets even though Jongin whined softly in his ear. Jongin’s chest was against Sehun’s back as the breaths from his nose hit behind his ear, whines filling his ears made Sehun’s heart batter in his rib cage wildly, short of breath even. “Jongin, let’s go inside, don’t worry about it. Buy me tickets next time.”  Jongin hummed resting his chin on his Sehun’s shoulder. 

“Next time? There’s going to be a next time?” Sehun felt too much like much a date, but he liked it, more than he should have. “Yeah! Of course, you thought this was a one time thing? Saturday’s can be our day.” Jongin smiled, walking next to Sehun’s side leaving his back cold but seeing Jongin’s smile is better than the warmth of his chest on Sehun’s back. “I’d really like that, Sehunnie.” 

Sehun gave him a smile and he knew it was a wide one since Jongin mirrored it back, except Jongin’s smile was as bright as the sun. “Let’s get in the actual theater, I wanna be able to actually see this movie.”

 

Two hours and 32 minutes felt like an eternity to Sehun since he could feel the warmth of Jongin’s arm against his the entire time. It was paining, it was excruciating, how hypersensitive he was to that touch alone and it wasn’t even purposeful touch. He also liked the way Jongin watched movies. He definitely wasn’t like Chanyeol who had to ask 1,000 questions because apparently just watching the movie wasn’t enough. Chanyeol even got pouty when Sehun didn’t have the answers to a movie he, too, is seeing for the first time. Jongin wasn’t like Kyungsoo who bores easily and tried to check his phone and if Sehun scolded him enough, he’d fall asleep in the seat and pretend to like the film after. As if Sehun were that stupid.

Jongin was attentive, his eyes were always wide and doe like with fixed interest. If there was a great part, his mouth would go a little wide and his lips would curl into a parted mouth smile. If he were sad, mouth would be covered by his hand and he’d slightly curl into himself. For the first time in Sehun’s existence, the person next to him captivated his attention more than the movie itself. 

They sat now in a booth of some dark dingy hole in the wall place, and yeah while Sehun’s plan is definitely working that he could talk to Jongin without being entranced, he found he didn’t want the night to end. The night hadn’t even started to come close to an end but something in him was telling him not to leave him, to do something more. He didn’t know what the more could possibly be since he’d most likely see Jongin throughout the week and Saturdays are their days now. 

“Sehun?” Jongin spoke through a giggle, Sehun shook from his thoughts with a light heat on his cheeks. “Yeah sorry, I’m here. So tell me, what movie do you have the most complaints about?” Jongin scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Predator.” Sehun furrowed his eyebrows with a laugh tumbling from his lips, he could have sworn he saw Jongin’s smile grow at the laugh alone. “Predator?”

Jongin nodded, sighing out loudly, fingers rubbing circles into his temples. “The movie is called predator, and the movie is about humans. I don’t even know why predator is there and we barely see him. We just see some guy with big muscles and some sweaty people in camo.” Sehun started laughing, hands over his mouth as he leaned back into the booth. 

“You’re complaining that the bad guy doesn’t get enough screen time?” Jongin nodded, whining as he lightly slapped the table with his hands. “Yes, stop, listen! The movie is called Predator, not Arnold Schwarzenegger and Camo Guys Fighting Predator.” Sehun leaned forward on the table, smiling fondly at the pout on Jongin’s lips. “Hey, I complain about the movie It a lot.” Jongin’s lips played into a curious smile. “I like that movie.” Sehun nudged his foot against Jongin’s. “Would you say you can’t talk to strangers but talk to a clown in a sewer?” Jongin giggled, hand on the back of his neck as he spoke out shy. “No, I wouldn’t.”

Sehun leaned back a little now, simply because the space between them felt too close even though Sehun couldn’t feel Jongin’s breath on his skin. He liked being close, even if it was casual close, he liked being around Jongin too much for him to handle or try to comprehend. “That’s my complaint.” Jongin smiled a little more, looking down. “I laughed about that for a little while.” Sehun didn’t say anything back, not because he didn’t have anything left to say but because if he did say anything it would be about how beautiful the others laugh is. 

 

Dropping Jongin off was hard, he didn’t want to say bye but here he is now in his bed, eyes staring up at the ceiling. He’s getting tired of this ceiling, he’s noticed. He stares at it far too often for the past two weeks and maybe it’s because he stays up thinking about Jongin. Before, it was how Jongin was just the right push to his pull, but now it seems like everything about Jongin is a perfect flame to every match he had. 

The other was everything Sehun could ever want in a person, and their connection/chemistry was something beyond unreal that made his heart skip beats and palms sweat. He could talk to Jongin easier than he could talk to anyone, and he was personable which also made his heart beat in his ears. Jongin seemed to have every quality Sehun was looking for in someone and that didn’t make sense to him since he wasn’t even looking at Jongin like that but it seemed like fireworks, neon arrows, street signs, rings of fire, whatever could attract him was hovering around Jongin in his mind to purposefully make himself see Jongin like that. 

He didn’t need to look at Jongin like that, considering Kyungsoo was with him. Kyungsoo and Jongin, another thing. Jongin may be quieter, more able to hold intellectual conversations, gentler, sweeter, but if Jongin really was everything Sehun was looking for then he wouldn’t be a fit to Kyungsoo. Sehun thought that, he didn’t admit it out loud because admitting it out loud would make him feel like a terrible best friend. Well, more than he already does for having a small crush on the guy his best friend is dating. Something else he definitely doesn’t want to admit out loud either. 

He forced his eyes shut, he forced his brain to stop thinking about the smooth dip of his cheekbones or the supple cupid’s bow of his full lips, the bronze skin underneath the light and the way his breath emitted steam into the cold winter night as he burrowed his nose into his slightly warmer hands upon exiting. He didn’t think about how Jongin smiled at Sehun’s laugh, he didn’t think about the way the other went pink cheeked if Sehun said a compliment, he didn’t think about Jongin’s warm chest on his back. In fact, he thought of a complete turn off and something that would put him to sleep: Park Chanyeol watching a movie. 

 

Coffee was therapeutic, watching the foam simmer into the coffee as the caramel drizzle would either stay on top or slowly slide and sink to the bottom. Sehun liked this part of his job, especially when people requested a light dash of cinnamon across the white foam, making it look more like pinecones dusted in snow. He put on a lid on top of the coffee cup, sliding it to the pick up counter with a soft smile. Monday mornings, busy but quiet since it’s a Monday and who the hell wants to be out and about on a Monday. 

Everyone looked grumpy, perpetually so, everyone but Sehun. Sehun had a smile onto his face since really there was only five more days until Saturday. Saturday, his days with Jongin, established as of yesterday when they decided this Saturday was a day in the mall. A day meaning Sehun would have to look at his face and respond smoothly but hey, that’s fine. 

“Sehun!” Chanyeol’s voice echoed in the cafe, Chanyeol though ignored the looks of displeasure at the loud voice interrupting the sanctities of a Monday. “Yeol, shut up, people are tired.” Chanyeol didn’t look sympathetic as he shrugged, the counter was empty, Kyungsoo was in the back office. Sehun knew he’d be back there all day, Kyungsoo hated Monday’s too. “How was Saturday?” 

Sehun couldn’t fight the smile on his face, not even if he really tried. “Good, huh?” Chanyeol asked, Sehun nodded with a little giggle slipping his lips as he held his head. “Remember how I said he’s the push to my pull? Well it seems like that in every aspect, like, he’s exactly the person I need in my life.” His word choice was careful, he didn’t want to say Jongin was the person he was looking for to be the other half of him, even though it’s what he was thinking. 

Another knowing look, Sehun hated it a lot but he let Chanyeol look at him as if he knew the world's secrets. “Yeah, yeah I remember. That’s good Hun.” Sehun was glad it stayed at that and maybe it was because Kyungsoo was just behind a not too thick door, but he knew Chanyeol knew his voice wasn’t exactly one that could go at a quieter volume. “Saturday’s are our days to hang out so this Saturday is a mall day.” Chanyeol looked super intrigued, but Sehun could see he was biting his tongue to not say too much. “Right, well, I’m happy for you. I’ll text later, bye Sehunnie.”

Sehun watched Chanyeol walk out into the cold, wrapping the beige brown coat around him. Sehun pulled on the mustard yellow sleeves of his sweater, leaning against the counter as he pulled out his phone to see a ‘good morning’ text with a smiley emoji from Jongin. He had started doing that since yesterday, everything about it made Sehun warm. He shot a quick morning text back following with what Jongin’s plans were for today. He knew though, he knew Jongin’s routine by now.

Jongin’s routine was a dance class at eleven which ended at one, then he would get lunch for an hour and come back for his 2:30 class, then another class at four which would end at five and there was his day. Jongin’s classes all changed in age groups and style of dancing even though he mainly taught ballet. Sehun knew all of that by just listening, Kyungsoo didn’t have the slightest idea of what Jongin was doing still, so naturally Kyungsoo would ask Sehun which only engraved the schedule farther into his brain.

As he figured, Jongin proceeded to explain his plans which was the exact schedule, but this time he started mentioning a few more personal details that Sehun didn’t know. Like what Jongin wanted for lunch, what he had been craving, asked Sehun if he was craving anything, etc. Saturday was maybe one of the best decisions he had decided to do for himself.

 

Saturday came as fast as a Saturday could come. It was slow and it was a lot for him to handle, really. Everyday he saw Jongin though they talked more and more, they were happy and better to carry a conversation with. Sehun learned that when Jongin gets embarrassed or shy, he covers his face and giggles with his head down but when it’s a proud laugh his head is tilted back with eyes screwed shut.

It also makes his heart incredibly warm to know that Jongin has just the right things not in common with Sehun. The tea is one, but other things like as to their video game tastes or music tastes were diverse but not too far off. They didn’t need one too far off, and they both found interests in what the other liked meaning a time for openness. It was beautiful, really, how Jongin seemed to take an interest in things Sehun had different from him. 

Their day at the mall was something else, just the right things to be different. Sehun preferred to shop at Forever 21 for trendy clothes, and Jongin preferred any store that had comfortable sweaters or button downs, so Ralph Lauren. Both ended up walking out with items from each store, both also decided to share their mall food court snacks. 

They decided to go to a cafe afterwards of Jongin’s choice since he always craved fried chicken, he wasn’t joking when he said his favorite food was fried chicken. Sehun offered to buy the food for him anytime Jongin even slightly hinted, and that made Jongin’s cheeks flush into a pink cheeked blush and nothing was prettier. 

Back to his bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, he told Jongin about how he never was able to sleep and Jongin, kindly, decided that Sehun could call him anytime. Eyes at the ceiling, mind pondering the thought. He could call Jongin, he could and he could possibly wake him up and then feel bad. He could, and in a split second decision he decided he would. 

“Sehun?” Jongin’s voice sounded awake, Sehun couldn’t hang up and even when he thought it was a good idea, Jongin answered on the second ring. “Hey, um, sorry I can’t sleep.” Jongin’s voice sounded an octave deeper on the phone, it made Sehun’s stomach coil with happiness, especially when the other laughed. “No, don’t be. I told you to call. I can’t sleep either.” Sehun smiled, rolling on his side to not have to hold the phone, object propped between his face and shoulder. “Why can’t you sleep?” There was a lull, like Jongin was thinking of the right answer to say and as much as Sehun knew he shouldn’t have, he wanted Jongin to say it was because he was thinking of him. “Just overactive brain you know? I think a lot. Stuff that I shouldn’t be thinking of.” He finished, his words were hesitant which was odd since in the time Sehun has known the other, he always spoke smooth.

“Do you always overthink?” He decided to switch gears now, make Jongin go back to smooth delivery instead of thinking so hard to say the right thing. Sehun was sure anything Jongin said would be the right thing, but Jongin didn’t know or realize that much. The lull wasn’t present now, showing Sehun his theory may be right. “Always, it’s annoying. Do you always have a problem sleeping?” 

Sehun’s turn to pause, deciding that “just recently.” was a good answer. “What keeps you up?” Sehun’s mind immediately replayed Jongin spinning around in front of him, head tilt back and sweet sounds of laughter bubbling warmly. “Just not tired.” He lied, but it felt a lot safer for him to lie instead of being brutally honest by saying ‘I stay up thinking of you because wow I feel fond for you.’ “Doesn’t sound convincing, but if you don’t wanna tell me Sehunnie that’s okay.” A giggle ended the sentence, the giggle was a passing moment but to Sehun that sound replayed constantly in his mind. 

Their conversation didn’t have a dead moment, not really. If they fell silent it was a silent of comfort and Sehun liked hearing the soft breaths coming from the other side, or the sniffles or faint giggles which in turn turned into the both of them laughing. Sehun thought of so many jokes, he was desperate to make Jongin laugh since that became the only sound he enjoyed hearing. At one point his favorite sound was rain hitting the pavement or window panes but now it’s Jongin’s laugh. At one point his favorite smell was the smell of coffee, despite hating it, but now his favorite smell is the cologne Jongin wears. At one point his favorite sight in the world was the ocean hitting the shore on a grey day with a sun hiding behind the clouds, but now it’s see Jongin in any point of his day.

He thought it was so silly, how someone he knew now for three weeks became his entire world and all he could ever think about. He only had two people he could talk to this about since the third is the boyfriend. Chanyeol and Taeyeon weren’t of any help with their knowing looks and Sehun hated that look. The look that they thought Sehun found his soulmate in Jongin, which was impossible in his mind. The look that Sehun’s falling in love, Jongin is someone he can’t ever fall in love with. Never in a million years could he do that to Kyungsoo but his heart and mind didn’t catch that memo since every little thing Jongin did was so important in his mind surrounded by butterflies and fondness. 

Jongin fell asleep first, the evening of his breath along with hums instead of words as answers gave it away. Sehun didn’t want to hang up, so he didn’t. Shockingly that was the best he had ever slept, it felt like Jongin was there with him and he liked that thought the most.

 

Two months since Oh Sehun had met Kim Jongin, a month since that phone call which now became a tradition to talk to each other until one another fell asleep. Saturdays are still their days, they’re so close they’re attached to the hip practically. Sehun is now overwhelmed with a feeling of want, and it’s beyond his description. 

He passed the nightly phone call tonight, lying about sleeping over at Chanyeol’s since he felt sad. Jongin had a date with Kyungsoo that night and Sehun knew he would want to blab about it. Sehun didn’t admit it out loud, to himself even, but the jealousy in his veins was hard to ignore but stubbornly and sticking to his brat maneurisms, he ignored it. Even though at this point it wasn’t really something he could ignore.

They were the perfect push and pull. If Sehun was coffee, Jongin was creamer. If Jongin was sunset, Sehun was sunrise. In Sehun’s mind, Sehun was the night sky and Jongin was every silver star that seemed painted into the black cloak of night. They fit together, Sehun saw it so clearly that it felt like for once he wasn’t lost in some sort of fog and that’s how he felt daily. That is, until he met Kim Jongin.

Underneath everything that makes Sehun one of the greatest people in the world that anyone could ever possibly meet, he was lost. Not just in a fear of meeting his soulmate, that’s a normal problem, really. He was lost in the fact that his life is going to be owning a coffee shop and never live out his dreams, he never knew what he was doing, he couldn’t find it in himself to do what he wants to do out of fear. He wandered through a coffee scented fog with smiles and unsure actions since really he didn’t care about what he did, he just did them on gut instinct or simple pulses that told him to do it.

Jongin seemed to clear all that up, and it was so strange for Sehun since no one, not even himself, could clear it up. Jongin is what gave him strength and confidence into doing something, in fact, Jongin took Sehun to look at possible studios. Sehun promised Jongin to make the man his first dance teacher, and he means that promise fully. Jongin talked him into making smart decisions instead of things based off want or just plain boredom, Sehun would be forever grateful. 

They were the perfect couple, if they were a couple. And now Sehun decided to blow him off for being sad that Jongin went on a date with his boyfriend and Sehun’s best friend. It hurt, his eyes were stinging too, his chest was so filled with ache and an uncomfortable churn that it made him nauseous. He sighed, deciding to close his eyes but instead of pleasant images of Jongin being sweet and well, Jongin, it was Kyungsoo kissing Jongin.

Delicate, Kyungsoo held Jongin’s face so delicately as they kissed and they laughed into it, he could see Jongin’s beautiful smile being shared so intimately for someone who wasn’t him. Jongin’s fingers resting on the back of Kyungsoo’s neck tracing small circles with the pads of his fingers, noses nudging over one another as they exchanged smaller kisses to not have to pull away. It was too vivid, he could even hear their laughs that sounded distant even though he was too close. 

Tears fell down his face as he shot straight up, swallowing thickly as he used his wrists to wipe at his eyes, fingers shakily making their way to his phone. Chanyeol was the only person he could call, and he knew Chanyeol at first would be mad for him calling at nearly two in the morning but he couldn’t function. Sehun was breaking down at the thought of them kissing, holding hands, having sex, cuddling, sleeping together in the same bed, even fucking smiling at one another since there was something in between those smiles that Sehun couldn’t have with Jongin. 

“Sehun it’s fucking two in the morning.” The scratchy voice gruffed, Sehun sniffled loudly into the phone. “I can’t stop thinking about Jongin with Kyungsoo why am I crying, Chanyeollie? Why does it hurt? Why am I so jealous? He’s so perfect with me why is he with Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol was silent until his voice went gentle and softly toned. “Sehun-ah, do you love Jongin?” Sehun’s turn to go silent as tears steadily went down his face, shaking his head in denial as a loud sob now escaped his lips because the lie on himself didn’t work. Love, the word love and Jongin in the same sentence struck a chord so strong in his heart and body that it made his chest physically ache. 

“I love him so much, I love him.” Admitting, a mistake, Sehun knew. It would change everything for him since now that he knows he’s going to be more obnoxious with thinking how perfect Jongin is. How perfect Jongin is for him. “I know you do, babe don’t cry please.” Chanyeol softly cooed, slightly calming Sehun down as he lied back down onto the bed. Tears still trailing down his cheeks that he was sure were to be red by now. “I don’t want to love him.” He whispered, he didn’t mean it, but he meant it in the sense that he didn’t want to feel like this. “You do, and maybe this is fate.” Chanyeol’s very subtle way of saying Jongin will be his soon, but Sehun didn’t believe it. “Yeah, goodnight Chanyeol.” 

He hung up, sent Kyungsoo a text saying he got sick, deciding to spend the entire day in his apartment cooped up to mourn. 

 

Staying in his apartment was a lot worse, Jongin sent worried text messages and calls, Sehun didn’t answer any of them. Sehun didn’t want to. He decided to answer one back saying he was okay, just some stomach stuff and declined Jongin to bring over soup. Jongin didn’t text much after that, he knew he had hurt the other’s feelings and he’d make it up to him tomorrow. 

He didn’t turn on the TV, he didn’t go to the couch, he stayed in his bed staring at his ceiling unless he had to go to the bathroom. His mind had plenty to think about like how he could possibly love Jongin given every circumstance there was where he should not have fallen in love with him. He lifted his phone, texting a simple ‘I’m sorry.’ to Jongin, his mind was also starting to feel bad for being so cold to the other since really it wasn’t his fault. 

‘It’s okay, I’m just worried.’ Sehun blinked away the water in his eyes, Jongin worrying over him was enough to make his heart bring butterflies even though Sehun didn’t want them to appear.  ‘No need to, Nini, just sick. I’ll see you tomorrow I promise.’ Jongin typed, stopped typing, then finally a message. ‘No phone call again?’ Sehun bit on his bottom lip, declining the phone call with a fake excuse how he throws up too often to maintain a vocal conversation and Jongin typed back an understanding, then a good night that seemed too solemn even over text.

He put his phone face down, he wanted to have a conversation but not with someone vocally. His head turned to the pen on his nightstand, swallowing thickly he looked it over. He needed to tell his soulmate the truth, because now the thought of a soulmate sounded stupid when all he could think about is marrying the man with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He didn’t want to meet his soulmate, he didn’t want to run from his soulmate, his soulmate just deserved to know that his heart was reserved by someone.

Dumb as it may sound since everyone says soulmate love conquers every other love, but Sehun felt like this was it. He compares his love for Jongin to Chanyeol and Taeyeon and it’s pretty much up there, so he imagines if his love for Jongin is already of soulmate material, this is it for him. This is it for him and he could feel it like a solid weight pressing down hard against his chest. There’s not a point for a person to be waiting and wishing for him, no. His heart was reserved for someone, and he already knows he’d do all the waiting in the world if it meant he got to put a diamond wedding band onto to the tanner finger. 

 

He sat up, fingers taking the pen and he rolled up his sleeve, deciding right on the back of his hand would be a too noticeable place to start. ‘Hi, are you real?’ he wrote, it was dumb but it was worth a shot. He stared at his skin, waiting and waiting for what felt like an eternity but really only five minutes had passed. ‘I’m real.’ on the spot next to his greeting. 

Sehun felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest because despite him not wanting this soulmate to wait for him, it’s nice to know he truly did have one. Sehun decided on what to say next, he didn’t want to do small talk to get into something so heavy but he had to lead into it somehow. 

‘I’m not going to be a good soulmate for you.’ He wrote on the back of his arm, the response came back a lot faster than he expected. ‘I’m not either, what’s your reason?’ His eyes went wide, he definitely didn’t expect that but it made him giggle a little bit to know he wasn’t the only one. Maybe for a different reason, but lord knows. ‘I love my best friend’s boyfriend. You?’ He wrote, staring at his skin, the reply came back faster. ‘I love my boyfriend’s best friend.’ 

Sehun laughed now, tears prickling in his eyes but not out of sadness. If this is what having a soulmate was like, this is pretty fucked up he thinks. That both the soulmates love someone else apart from who they’re actually supposed to love. ‘We can talk to one another about it now, if that’s okay with you.’ The response came back faster than the others, and it made Sehun smile. ‘I’d like that.’ Maybe his soulmate wasn’t romantic, maybe it was platonic and that was perfectly okay. He knew they wouldn’t do much bonding to actually become friends but hey, at least he’s not talking to Chanyeol about this to get that stupid knowing look. 

‘Nice to meet you, person.’ He wrote, he laid down and didn’t see the last response before he let sleep take him, but the words appeared into his skin. ‘Nice to meet you, too.’ Jongin even had a way of clearing the fog of his soulmate, but not in a way Sehun had originally intended. Sehun originally intended to fall in love with his soulmate and clear it that way, but falling in love with Jongin was just as good, too.


	3. Chapter 3

Talking to his soulmate didn’t really change anything except for how often he washes the ink off his arm to hide things when he wears short sleeves shirts. Although, about a month in it got colder in the harsh winter temperatures so long sleeve shirts took over his wardrobe and some days he wore them on days they weren’t needed, just to make sure no one could see the ink stain his skin. Specifically Jongin, for some reason every part of him wanted to look eligible. 

Two months of talking to his soulmate and he didn’t know a single thing about him besides the other was crazy in love with his person, like Sehun was for Jongin. Out of the few details he’s gotten from his soulmate about who he’s pining over, he sounds like a standup guy. His soulmate says the same thing about Jongin. They haven’t exchanged names, they figured that exchanging names would make it too much like they were trying, and really they weren’t. 

They weren’t trying to be friends, they weren’t trying to fall in love, they were acquaintances who would talk daily about the person they loved. Talking to his soulmate actually really helped Sehun balance out between wanting to grab Jongin by the back of his neck and kissing him or crying out of sadness or rage. Really, it all just depends on what his mood was for that particular day. 

Sehun’s also noticed that Jongin never rolls up his sleeves, Jongin also has more long sleeve shirts than he remembered since Jongin preferred white see through button downs (the bane of Sehun’s existence), but it’s colder, so maybe that’s all it is. He didn’t read too much into it, why would he? Although, he knew from deep within that it didn’t take a lot of brain power to see Jongin slightly interested in him the way Sehun was in him.

 

Staring, blushing, verbal flirting in subtle ways only the two would catch, Sehun saw that all between the two. He saw the way Jongin would shyly smile or smirk over at Sehun, sometimes he caught him staring longingly which in turn would make Jongin turn away quickly with a hard blush on his cheeks. Sehun found it endearing, and maybe, maybe his soulmate could be right. His soulmate said Jongin could love him back, but how was he to know if he didn’t say? 

Sehun decided waiting would be best, maybe if the two broke up it would prove Jongin couldn’t be with him and it was Sehun he wanted. Maybe he lived in a romantic novel and his life would be pining or wrecking a relationship, but if he had to choose he’d pine. Kyungsoo deserved better, definitely and he really did not want to ruin his best friend’s happiness. It would have to be obvious that Jongin loved Sehun for him to spill, and as of now, pining seemed to be his only answer. As well for his soulmate.

 

“Oh Sehun!” February 11th, five months in total of Kim Jongin being in his life and that’s how he counted. He was really all about Jongin now, he didn’t seem to smile much when Chanyeol came in the shop anymore and maybe that was sadness at Jongin not loving him back, but he managed a small smile today up at Chanyeol. “Yeollie.” Chanyeol frowned at him, a normal look for Chanyeol to be giving Sehun now since he knew, of course.

Chanyeol could read Sehun like a book but he didn’t know the full extent of it like why Sehun decided to wear long sleeve shirts more often. “Come over tonight, please? Taeyeon is going out with Seohyun tonight, we can have a guys night.”

Sehun knew by now this was Chanyeol’s way of being subtle in his worries for Sehun, he’d want to talk and that he knew. Sehun sighed softly, wiping down a small coffee splatter against the white granite counter with a little shrug, eyes flickering up at the taller. “Can we watch Skins?” Chanyeol sighed quietly, resting his elbow on the counter, murmuring as quiet as Chanyeol could possibly get. “I’m worried, you’re coming over tonight or I’m going over there. It’s Friday night, not Saturday. You can’t make excuses.” 

Sehun wanted to say anything to make Chanyeol not worry, but he knew he was sad. He knew it was obvious, Jongin picked up on it but Sehun didn’t burden him with the sadness of loving him since Jongin looked sad, too. “Fine.” Chanyeol grinned now, leaning up and pulled out his signature perfect total amount in cash. “You know what I want by now.” Sehun got to brewing, pouring the drink in a to-go cup and handed it to him. “Get out of my face, see you at nine.” Chanyeol’s warm laugh brought a smile to his face, “seven!” the loud voice called back as he walked out into the winter.

It was dead a little bit after that, Kyungsoo stuck in the office so maybe he thought writing to his soulmate now would be okay. He rolled up his sleeve, but there was already writing. ‘Should I go see him at work today?’ Sehun chuckled and grabbed the pen. ‘Yeah, you should. I’d like for my guy to come through the door right now if we’re honest so I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.’ 

He watched as writing settled onto his skin, making him laugh a little bit. ‘He’s so cute, ugh I just wanna walk in there and climb over that stupid counter and kiss him.’ Sehun’s eyebrows furrowed now at ‘counter’, deciding to maybe just ask a question. ‘What’s he do?’ The other replied ‘works at a coffee shop.’ Sehun nodded, pretty normal job that a lot of people have. Starbucks is everywhere, his soulmate probably liked coffee. ‘Don’t you have work?’ A reply took a few minutes but it came. ‘Classes got cancelled today since the building is being worked on.’ 

Jongin didn’t mention anything about having his building being worked on, but he did say he had a day off today. Maybe his soulmate was still in school, or something. ‘Definitely go see him.’ The soulmate replied a few short seconds later ‘I am, I’ll talk to you later.’ Sehun quickly rolled down his sleeve, letting the pen rest on the counter. No one else had come in, so he settled for watching out the windows.

That had been something he started doing recently, at first it started to see when Jongin was coming in but now he liked watching the people walk by. Kids in too big coats stumbling behind parents, tiny hands holding a finger. Women walking with books or with determination, men browsing in tight suits or casual winter wear. Teenagers huddled together around a phone that all take up too much of the sidewalk, boys running to the gaming cafe just across the street. People dropping cash or change, stopping to say hi to familiar faces, people stopping to pull up their jeans or maybe change how their scarf is positioned on their necks. Sehun wonders if they love someone how he loves Jongin, what they did about it or if they even want to love. He wonders if everyone goes through dilemmas like these and as he watches some people give looks of longing to people in their group of friends or a stranger across the street, even someone staring into a building to peer at someone inside, he knows he’s not alone.

A bright peach colored sweater is what tore his gaze away from a pink cheeked couple exchanging a kiss just before Valentine’s day. The door opened for Sehun to see Jongin’s red cheeks and bright smile, black hair bouncing with Jongin’s step. “Jonginnie!” Sehun exclaimed, leaning over the counter as his cheeks started to hurt from how hard he was grinning. He didn’t know he was that happy, but he could see Jongin’s glow of happiness that appeared as he walked through the door. “I got bored on my day off and well, maybe I wanted to see you before tomorrow.”

The other had a red blush sliver across his cheeks, but the words alone made Sehun’s face heat up down the back of his neck and spine. “You know I always want to see you.” If possible, Jongin blushed more, leaning on the counter his thumb lightly brushed over Sehun’s chin, Sehun didn’t pull away but leaned more into it. “Do you really?” Jongin’s voice was soft, fond, sickeningly sweet. “I do, really. I look forward to you coming here every day.” They stared at one another, eyes battling out something they couldn’t make out but what he could make out was undeniable softness and fondness, something that made Sehun’s stomach flip pleasantly. 

The office door opened, making both jolt and jump back, Sehun looked back over at Kyungsoo who looked properly annoyed. “Was Chanyeol in here? I need to talk to Taeyeon abou- hey babe.” Babe, the pet name always made Sehun feel nauseous, but today he looked at Jongin who didn’t even smile. Jongin smiled at Sehun, but not at Kyungsoo. “Hey, came to say hi.” The tone of voice wasn’t even the same, he spoke to Kyungsoo like it was business and Jongin finally met Sehun’s eyes with a soft smile, it made Sehun flush. 

“You don’t have class today?” Jongin shook his head, Sehun looked over to Kyungsoo for a moment before back to Jongin. “Building’s being worked on, I told you yesterday.” Sehun almost rolled his eyes, not shocked that Kyungsoo didn’t listen. His mind froze, looking down at his arms for a moment before back to Jongin who now looked annoyed at Kyungsoo. He shook his head of that thought quickly, pinching the bridge of his nose and decided to change the topic so the environment would be less tense. “Taeyeon? Why?” 

Kyungsoo looked over at him gratefully, Sehun wasn’t trying to bail him out but rather soften Jongin since recently, he smiles when Sehun talks. “She’s good at financing, no?” Sehun shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ll ask Sunday.” Kyungsoo crossed his arms, impatient sigh falling from his lips. “Why not tonight? Tomorrow?” Sehun sighed, tilting his head to the side. “She’s going out tonight, Saturday is my day with Jongin. You can wait.”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed, pointing between the two. “You still hang out on Saturday’s?” Jongin’s turn to scoff, cutting Sehun off from speaking. “Does everything I say go in one ear and out the other?” 

Sehun looked over to Jongin, his lips were pursed together before he turned to Sehun. “I’ll text, see you.” He walked out the shop, but Sehun didn’t want to say bye yet. “Watch the place, would you?” Sehun asked relatively kind despite the current situation and sprinted out the store, putting his hand on Jongin’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but smile when Jongin realized it was him. “Come with me to lunch, okay?” Jongin nodded with no hesitance. “Okay.”

 

Jongin chose where they were having lunch, it was a simple Chinese place with a chef who knew Jongin meaning he must frequent here. Sehun played with Jongin’s fingers as the other just took the happiness of watching, fingers sometimes lightly dancing against one another until soft giggles would make them flush and break apart. “I’m sorry about Soo.”

Sehun said seriously after their hands retracted to their own spaces, looking up at Jongin. Jongin shook his head, smiling faintly. “Don’t be, you’re why I stick around him most of the time you know.” Sehun laughed quietly, hands covering his reddening cheeks. “Are you happy with him?” Jongin shrugged again, looking at Sehun with fond serious eyes. “I am but I realize it’s cause you’re there.” Sehun didn’t know what that meant, but oh it made his heart race and palms start to sweat. “Feeling is mutual.” He replied surprisingly smooth even though his legs started to shake. 

Their food came out, limiting their talking to eat in a comfortable silence but Sehun’s mind was thinking at a 100 miles per hour, he didn’t know what that meant, but Jongin only seemed to smile at the end with pink cheeks. He didn’t want to jump ahead of himself as he looked up from his food to see Jongin staring at him, too. But he couldn’t help it as he smiled to himself with a little hum, mind slowly settling on that Jongin may just love him back.

 

Chanyeol looked like an over excited puppy when Sehun walked through the door but that wasn’t even the biggest problem. The biggest problem came when Chanyeol had the heat on too hot for a long sleeve shirt, and a sweat started to sheen against his neck. 

He couldn’t take off the shirt, no, he couldn’t even roll up the sleeves so he sat on Chanyeol’s couch in the spot nearest the window to try to catch some sort of breeze even though it was sealed shut. “Sehun, you’re sweating, go change.” Chanyeol finally noted, making Sehun’s eyes go wide and quickly, he shook his head with a nervous laugh. “No, it’s okay, sweating burns calories you know.” Chanyeol didn’t laugh, for the first time ever he didn’t laugh at the joke. “Since when do you care about burning calories? What’s going on?”

Sehun saw Chanyeol slightly move, he couldn’t have Chanyeol knowing he was talking to his soulmate, let alone that he loved Jongin so much that he basically put his soulmate in the friend zone. Acquaintance zone. Zone of talking about who he loves without even a single name but it’s okay since his soulmate did it to him, too. “Nothing.” He finally answered, but his tone was high pitched, it made his breath hitch. 

“You fucking liar!” Chanyeol exclaimed with no bite, Sehun saw him dart over now making him squeak and dipping out of the cushion. “I’m not! Stop! You know running isn’t my thing!” He screeched, running around the apartment. “Thought you wanted to burn calories?” Chanyeol retorted back, finally reaching to Sehun’s wrist and yanked on him. Chanyeol managed to now push Sehun to the ground, pushing up Sehun’s shirt to see a perfectly clear bare chest before putting one knee on Sehun’s forearm, rolling the sleeve on the one containing two sets of handwriting on his milky skin. 

“You, you talked to your soulmate?” Chanyeol asked rather softly, looking down at Sehun with hurt eyes, evident that he felt hurt he didn’t know. “Chanyeol, it’s not what you think.” Sehun said meekly, arm starting to numb at his knee pressed down against it. “You talked to your soulmate and you didn’t tell me.” He murmured with a tone of hurt in his voice, making Sehun sigh quietly. “I told him I won’t be a good soulmate, and he said it was mutual. Like I said, it’s really not what you think.” Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed finally lifting his knee off Sehun’s arm. “I’m sorry?” 

“I love Jongin, and if the love I feel for him matches your love for Taeyeon or how anybody else in the universe describes love, I don’t need a soulmate but I need him. My soulmate loves someone how I love Jongin, too.” Chanyeol looked at Sehun, it wasn’t a look of pity or even sadness, but a look of something of understanding. Now, Chanyeol looked down at the writing and chuckled quietly, thumb smudging the sweat slicked ink. “This handwriting looks familiar.” 

Sehun scrunched up his nose, groaning up at him. “Um, who?” Chanyeol looked at him with a grin. “I think it’s Jongin’s handwriting.” Sehun rolled his eyes, shoving Chanyeol’s chest. “It’s not, now get off of me buffoon, I’ll go change into a shirt.” Sehun knew Chanyeol was going to get off him but for extra measure he shoved the other off him, laughing when Chanyeol hit the floor with a thud and whine. “Wash your arms, I want a fresh slate and not sweaty arms.” Sehun gave him a playful annoyed look before walking into the bedroom, grabbing a shirt and heading into the bathroom now. 

He washed off his arms, feeling overly relieved now to have his skin exposed to slightly cooler air outside of the cage of his sweater. He slipped on the white t-shirt, drying off his arms, before going out to see Chanyeol back on his couch with a pen. “Do you know your soulmate’s name?” Sehun rolled his eyes, groaning. “No, we’re not doing names, we’re not even trying to be friends.” 

Chanyeol scoffed crossing his arms. “If you asked a name maybe you could figure out it was Jongin. Don’t try to say you don’t think about it, don’t try to say you don’t doubt that it’s not Jongin.” Sehun looked over at Chanyeol, scoffing softly. “Stop talking, if it is Jongin I’ll find out someday.” Chanyeol crinkled up his nose. “Like you’ll ever confess.” 

Sehun smiled to himself, he was sure he would if his mind kept backing him up that Jongin did love him, too.

 

Saturday is his favorite day of the week, and he’s really happy about it. Today he told his soulmate he’d be busy since it’s his day with Jongin, and his soulmate said the same thing. He found that a little suspicious but he let it go, he had to let it go since he wanted his full attention on Jongin in front of him.

His life right now was full of details that all related to if Jongin was flirting with him. Sehun stood outside his apartment, waiting for Jongin to step out as he nervously fiddled with the sleeves of his black sweater. The doorknob jiggled, butterflies swarming heavily in his stomach as he grinned at Jongin who was dressed in a white sweater, he looked angelic, Sehun thought. “You look beautiful.” He blurted, but he didn’t regret it judging by the flush on the other’s males cheeks. “Thank you, so do you.” 

Sehun was sure now that he mirrored the blush, he didn’t know if it was acceptable to do but he really wanted to. Before his mind could tell him no, he held his hand out unfolding his fingers from the fist, wiggling his fingers. “Care to go?” Jongin got redder if possible, hands slipping together with palms touching now, their faces were hot and the winter weather around them felt like summer. This is where Sehun belonged, he knew it and when he could, he could tell the shy smile on Jongin’s face told him it was where Jongin felt like he belonged, too.

This could easily be explained as platonic just in case things do go South. Sehun figures as much since a lot of friends hold hands. He holds hands with Chanyeol and Taeyeon on some days, and they’re as platonic as it gets with Sehun. It was interesting to him how his mind kept trying to defend him doing this with Jongin when it was clear it wasn’t platonic. His mind kept settling on how much he really thought Jongin loved him, and maybe today was the day he’d see it true. 

Their day started with a meal, fried chicken on the go as they walked the winter streets of Seoul. Their hands weren’t touching anymore but when Sehun would say something to make Jongin go pink in the cheeks, it would push him to do more. It would push his mind to limits he didn’t think of, like maybe there was a future with Jongin, maybe he could date him, maybe his soulmate was right that he would get loved back. Maybe it was all going to be okay, he just had to ask more about Kyungsoo. 

Ice skating was next on the agenda, hands holding to keep one another balanced with loud laughters that weren’t pretty to the others but to the two of them they were beautiful. “Hey, have any plans with Kyungsoo for Valentine’s Day?” Sehun mentioned in the middle of their silent moments, Jongin rolled his eyes with a scoff. “As if.” Sehun furrowed his brows, looking away from the ice for a split moment. “Oh I forgot, he’s not for Valentine’s Day.” Jongin rolled his eyes. 

Sehun knew this could be a leap, but he knew asking Jongin to hang out on Valentine’s Day is too forward, so he opted for something more subtle. “Hey, if I’m not doing anything, I’ll let you know. You can maybe come over.” He shrugged, nonchalant and smiled softly. He caught Jongin staring at him now, both cheeks flushed red and shy smiles. “I’d like that, a lot.” 

They spent ice skating now holding hands even though they didn’t need to. They knew very well how to ice skate by now, smoothly going in circles without a wobble but they both liked the way their hands felt slipped into one another. They liked the heat their hands gave off, they liked the fireworks sparking in their bodies, they liked the butterflies coursing through their stomach. They liked one another, they may even love one another. Sehun knew that, Sehun knew he loved Jongin, and definitely now he knew more than ever that Jongin may just love him, too.

 

Sunday, Sunday came too fast and it left him to sit alone in his apartment, knees kept to his chest with a stupid sigh leaving his lips. Jongin, Jongin has been on his mind all day and he even told his soulmate about Saturday to which the soulmate said he would see that as definitely interested enough that Sehun could tell him and maybe get him. That was the problem though, telling him would raise one too many problems.

First of all, the obvious problem that is blatant and in their faces, Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was a problem in the instance that if Sehun did anything, no matter the outcome, he would hate Sehun. If Sehun were to think rationally about this though he’d realize that they were a particularly horrible couple. Kyungsoo never listened to Jongin, and Jongin never wanted to be around Kyungsoo for that reason. Their date nights turned into date occasions on a whim when Jongin was ready for a night of conversation with the equivalent of a wall. 

Secondly, their friendship would be ruined. That scared him the second most since if their friendship was ruined he’d lose Jongin. On the off chance that Jongin doesn’t become repulsed, then their friendship will always be stained with ‘hey, remember the time I told you that I love you and you didn’t feel it back? Me too!’

Thirdly, and this is what Sehun thought about everyday if he did ever confess. If Jongin did ever love him back, if Jongin never did, the possible rejection. Taking the first factor in hand of Kyungsoo, and Jongin being a good person, the chances of rejection are incredibly high. The thought alone made his palms sweat and the back of his neck hot. 

Everything pointed to Jongin wanting him too, maybe if he confessed he didn’t have to jump into love right away, maybe it could be just a simple statement of having feelings. Sehun stared at his exposed forearm, a clean spot just waiting to be inked on. He took the pen, hands shaky with a sigh. He found there was writing on his arm before he could even jot anything down. ‘I broke up with him. Probably not my smartest decision since it’s the day before Valentines.’ Sehun swallowed a little thickly, looking down, brain roaming back to Chanyeol’s words before shaking his head. ‘Are you okay?’ Sehun stared at his milky skin as the black words came back, ‘better than. I think I’m going to tell him tomorrow. He invited me over.’ Sehun smiled, feeling some happiness for his not so much of a soulmate. ‘I think I will tomorrow, too.’ 

 

Jongin decided he was coming over at four based off mutual times being able to match. Kyungsoo didn’t plan anything today, Sehun assumes, he hadn’t heard anything from his best friend himself about Jongin and Jongin didn’t mention him. He let it go, however, not wanting to focus on the man standing in the way of him and his true love. He had this Valentine’s planned out, he was going to confess and no matter what, he was going to stick with his decision. He took a deep breath, messing with his quarter length sleeve shirt. His soulmate and him decided not to talk until Tuesday, giving the brief for time to pass and wear appropriate clothes for indoors in the heater. 

Sehun though drew a heart on the back of his hand, just next to his thumb, he watched as his soulmate slowly filled it in and it made him smile. The knock on the door shook him from his nerves and staring, making his palms sweat as he walked over to the door. He pulled it open, smiling softly at Jongin trying to hide the nerves but Jongin looked just as nervous. “Come in.” 

He stepped aside, closing the door and took a small breath closing his eyes for a few moments until turning around. “I broke up with Kyungsoo but that’s not all I need to say. I need to talk to you.” He started, Jongin was messing with his hands, t-shirt nice on his body but that wasn’t what Sehun noticed. He noticed the heart, resting just above his thumb that matched his own. He didn’t say anything yet, he wanted to make sure that Jongin knew he was listening. “I need to talk to you, too. But I don’t think I need to say anything more right now.” Sehun grabbed Jongin’s hand, holding it, comparing the two hearts with teary eyes and a shaky sigh.

Jongin looked at their hands with lips parted and taking a soft shaky inhale. “Sehun?” Sehun stared up at the other, lips a gape before he stepped away, grabbing a pen and scribbled down Jongin’s name onto his middle finger, staring hard at Jongin’s as he watched his hand writing appear on the tanner hand. “You.” He said softly, no anger or malice to his voice but one so soft it was almost of disbelief, happiness flooding his veins. “It’s you.” 

Sehun finally met the other’s eyes, the eyes were watery through a smile that could brighten the universe. “Jongin, I have to tell you something.” Jongin giggled through tears, he knew what it was but Sehun wanted to say it so badly that he could feel his heart about to explode with flames. “What is it, Sehunnie?” 

His voice was so soft and so fond it made Sehun nearly gush from the seams and almost laugh at himself for being so petrified of Jongin shutting him down. “I love you.” He breathed out quietly, grinning now when Jongin had a blush on his cheeks and a matching grin on his own full lips. “And I love you, Sehun.” They stared at one another, a moment too long for Sehun’s liking but their glances interchanged from their eyes to lips, Sehun knew what he wanted but he didn’t want to just act on it.

His marked hand softly went to cup Jongin’s cheekbone, scooting himself now to have his chest nudge against Jongin’s as he lets his breath fan against the other’s soft smooth tan cheek. Eyes meeting one another, lips curled into timid smiles that were anticipating what was to happen next. “May I kiss you?” Sehun asked, voice barely above a whisper. Jongin nodded, nudging his nose against Sehun’s. “Please.”

 

Sehun leaned forward fully now, lips pressing delicately onto Jongin’s smiling when he could taste the salty sweetness in the others warm mouth. Kissing Jongin was everything he thought it would be, soft and warm, comfortable and right. Fireworks exploded in the pit of his stomach, a small gasp emitted from his lips when Jongin pulled Sehun closer to him by the small of his back. They were almost impossibly close, their spaces were plenty invaded, chests touching chests with contact of hands warming spots that were already on fire but yet felt cold just to appreciate the touch of the other.

Jongin took advantage of the small gasp to slip his tongue into Sehun’s mouth, Sehun liked the copper taste of the other’s tongue as they grazed against one another. His hand found the side of Jongin’s neck, fingers loosely making their way to thread into the hair, letting Jongin’s arms completely engulf him as he let a sigh escape his lips into the pliant mouth patiently kissing the breath out of his lungs. 

Their lips moved slowly against one another, soft little breaths from their noses escaped to hit their cheeks. Sehun moved his arms around the other’s neck, letting Jongin hold Sehun to him tighter as their lips moved a little faster against one another, he could feel his cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much into the kiss but he didn’t want to stop. Especially since he could feel Jongin’s smile pressed right up against his own. His lungs started to burn, the burn all felt even better when Jongin’s plump lip would envelope his pink thinner ones, or when Jongin’s hands would squeeze against his sides making him feel his body closer to his. This was everything he wanted, and every single dream or daydream or mindless thought he had about this exact moment could never hold a candle. 

They broke away a few moments later, Sehun pulling away first to heave in a few deep breaths. The ends of his hair were askew and the plump pink lips were now red and swollen, but there was a smile that met his eyes and Sehun only wanted more. Sehun pulled away, taking Jongin’s hand into his own leading them into the bedroom, giggling softly at Jongin pressing kisses to the back of his neck. “That giggle is for me, I love when your giggle is reserved for me.” Sehun’s cheeks were stained in a crimson red, but he spun on his heels and replied smoothly as he fell back against the bed, pulling Jongin on top of him. “And it always will be.” 

Their lips met together in a kiss of smiles, hands finding one another’s as Jongin straddled over Sehun’s lap, fingers laced as his hands were pinned down against the bed. Their hands held each other tightly, but Sehun didn’t think if he let go that Jongin would go away. They loved one another, it was each other and the end for them. They disregarded their soulmates (each other) for each other, Sehun knew Jongin loved him as much as Sehun loved him, and that thought really sent a bubble of joy filling up his chest. 

He kissed Jongin eagerly until he felt himself wanting more, nipping on the bottom lip to ravish in the hiss like sound of pleasure. He let his lip pop back, eyes opening to look at Jongin already looking at him. “I want you, Sehun.” Jongin said lowly, voice barely above a whisper. Sehun nodded, kissing the corner of the other’s mouth before whispering softly. “Take me, Jongin.”

Jongin’s hands held Sehun’s waist now, fingernails making crescent shaped indents into the milky skin as he got pulled forwards, hands dragging down his lithe body to his thighs to wrap around Jongin’s waist. Lips attacked his neck in nips and sucks to create a litter of red marks marking along his neck, Sehun’s soft high pitched gasping breaths filled the room next to the sounds of Jongin’s lips against his skin. His hands found the thick black hair just next to his jawline, tugging at it lightly before flipping them over, leaving Jongin’s head back against the mattress.

He straddled Jongin now, smiling softly at the sight of the other looking so happy, so fond, so askew but pupils blown in a need for Sehun. He really wanted to go slow, to observe, kiss, and touch every single part of Jongin but apart of him wanted to get his hands on him now and admire later. The latter decision won as he hooked his thumbs into Jongin’s shirt, breathing out a light laugh as he looked at the other. “You’re so beautiful, I can’t believe this is happening.”

Jongin’s cheeks flushed, he lifted his torso to accommodate for Sehun taking it off and oh, it was better than Sehun could have ever imagined. Jongin’s body was carved like a marble statue, he looked like an Adonis with his prominent abs, collarbones so defined, strong v-lines leading to hide beneath his too tight jeans. “You’re really so beautiful.” Sehun said, more to himself but Jongin gripped his chin to make the other look him in the eyes. “You’re flawless, kiss me.” 

Sehun grinned, leaning down to kiss Jongin as his hands ran across his hot skin, cold fingertips pressing into the warmth beneath him with a gentle scratch of his nails just to make the plush pliant lips beneath him part, tongue slipping into the warmth of his mouth. His control didn’t stay for long when Jongin’s hands immediately slipped down the small of his back to the swell of his ass, hands cupping over it with a squeeze making Sehun gasp in his touch, hips rutting down unintentionally to grind over Jongin’s. 

A small moan from both males filled the room, lips pulling away and only connected by a string of saliva, Sehun’s eyes met Jongin’s hooded ones as he felt Jongin’s hands come now to the hem of Sehun’s shirt. He complied, letting it slip off and blushed darkly down his chest with the eye contact Jongin made with his body, letting out a soft sound of content. “Beautiful, let me take care of you.” 

Sehun nodded, letting Jongin carefully flip them over. He felt the slightly calloused hands run down his smooth skin until he reached the hem of his jeans. Jongin’s mouth went to work on kissing down the expanse of his chest. His fingers unbuttoned the fabric, tugging them off with the help of Sehun before his warm hands spread his thighs and Jongin’s mouth breathing hot air just over his nipple, Sehun whining softly when he felt the bud harden. 

Jongin was slower than Sehun but he liked it, he wanted this to last as long as possible. Jongin’s tongue very lightly flicked over the nipple with the faintest brush of his tooth to it, making the younger shiver as he looked down at Jongin while his hands located the thick hair to hold. He held Jongin close, trying to arch his chest but Jongin would pull away each time with a smile on his lips that was so sweet and full of love it made Sehun blush. “Patience baby, we have all our lives to do this.” 

Sehun nodded shyly, biting on his bottom lip as Jongin moved now to his smooth inner thighs, hands running over them and he watched Jongin. Jongin looked at him as if he had never seen something so beautiful and Sehun was glad that wall fell, he really liked how Jongin looked at him. Sehun shivered when Jongin left kisses to his thighs, closing his eyes now as he leaned back and jumped the slightest bit at the surprising nip to his skin. His face swelled with warmth again at the thought of Jongin marking him as his, especially on the thighs. So intimate, he knew Jongin wanted him forever like Sehun did for the other. 

Jongin pulled back after a few moments, looking down at Sehun who opened his eyes to meet the other with a smile. They exchanged a soft lingering kiss before Jongin murmured against his lips. “Where’s your lube, baby?” Sehun pressed a soft kiss to Jongin’s chin, whispering. “Night stand.” Jongin got on his knees and grabbed the lube and a condom, such a gentleman is all Sehun could think. 

“Is this okay?” Jongin asked, opening the cap to the bottle and poured it onto his fingers, rubbing it in now with the same hand as he discarded Sehun’s boxers. “More than okay.” Sehun answered soft, smiling up at Jongin as he relaxed against the bed, letting his legs fall open wider. He hissed out at the cool feeling of Jongin’s wet finger against his rim, but he scoot towards it looking at the other in needy anticipation, fond smile on his lips. 

Jongin’s hand slipped down to hold Sehun’s thigh in his hand with a testing squeeze, leaning down to place a soft kiss to his knee as his finger pushing in having Sehun emit a breathy gasp into the room. Jongin let out a faint grunt but he continued leaving soft kisses down Sehun’s leg as he moved his finger slowly. 

Sehun whined out softly, he wanted more but he liked the slow soft way Jongin was touching him, making him feel, it all felt so right and warm in his stomach. He pushed his hips down to urge Jongin to move a little faster with the single digit, with no hesitation Jongin complied making Sehun’s breath hitch as a little whine fell from his lips. “More.” He breathed out, hand now holding Jongin’s wrist on his other hand, fingers lightly pressing into the skin. 

Jongin’s one finger turned into two, slowly pushing in while Sehun felt his chest tighten to accommodate the feeling of two. He felt Jongin’s fingers curl making his back slightly arch, he whimpered quietly, moving now to grip Jongin by the back of his neck, pulling the other to him to press their lips together in sloppy yet languid kisses while the contrast of Jongin’s hand now creating a skin to skin sound in the room made his cock twitch and harden. 

Sehun felt his cock pressed hard against his stomach, precome leaking against his chest as Jongin managed to go in deep and fast with a scissor like motion of his fingers, breathy gasps filled the kiss as Jongin rested his forehead against Sehun’s. They stared at one another now, eyes filled with fondness and lust until Sehun squeezed his eyes shut as Jongin hitting the bundle of nerves making him whimper out loudly. 

“S-stop I’ll come, I want to come with you in me, please please baby.” Baby, he liked calling Jongin that, the word alone made his chest flush into a blush that didn’t go unnoticed by Jongin. Jongin trailed kisses down the flushed chest as he removed fingers, chuckling at Sehun’s whine at the empty feeling. “Anything for you, beautiful.” 

Jongin went to unwrap the condom, pulling open the foil as Sehun now sat up, scattering light delicate kisses against the broad tan shoulders, nipping at a few spots on the collarbones. His arms were rested on the sides of the others neck, covering the expanse of his shoulders and collarbones until Jongin wrapped his arms around Sehun and lied him back again. “Tell me if it hurts okay?” Sehun looked down at Jongin’s cock, pink head wrapped in the condom, thick girth and a long shaft. He thought maybe he could wake Jongin up with a blowjob one day but he didn’t have time to ponder the thought for too long. He nodded, Jongin dipped his head down to line the tip up to Sehun’s hole, softly pushing in. 

Sehun let out a hiss, the stretch was a burning one but it wasn’t unenjoyable. It brought slight discomfort but he knew he’d adjust to it, so he allowed Jongin to push in willing his body to relax. Hands grasping the other’s biceps for purchase, he whispered quietly as his body got used to the stretch. “Don’t move yet, please.” Jongin nodded, leaning down now to press sweet soft kisses that lingered a few seconds too long every time, Sehun smiled into each one and blushed when he could feel the smile from the others against his. “Move now, please.”

Jongin nodded, pulling his hips back before snapping them forward, getting a whimper through a gasp emitting at the sudden roughness. Jongin pistoned his hips into Sehun, making the younger male wrap his arms around Jongin, nails raking down his back as he let out loud breathy whimpers into his ear, shivers going up his spine at the low grunts Jongin let out. “I love you.” Sehun managed in between a whimper, whispering into Jongin’s ear. Jongin looked at him with lips parted but a smile was on his face. “And I love you.”

Jongin positioned Sehun’s hips now to be able to aim for the other’s prostate, Sehun’s hand immediately gripped at Jongin’s hair with a harsh tug, nodding while moans now fell from his lips. His chest was arching against Jongin’s, Jongin scattered wet sloppy kisses to Sehun’s neck, thumb brushing over Sehun’s neglected cock. It didn’t take more than one stroke from Jongin to release, white covering his stomach, he let out soft sounds as Jongin thrusted into him a few more times, until Jongin stopped his hips and let out a low moan with a slight twitch to his body. 

 

Carefully, he laid Sehun down and slowly pulled out, crawling next to him on the bed. They laid on their sides, facing one another. Their hair was pulled in every which direction, their smiles were lazy yet so happy and so fond, eyes fond and filled with love. Sehun scoot over, pressing soft kisses to the sweaty skin that tasted too much of salt, but it was Jongin, and Sehun couldn’t find it in him to care. 

He scoot up now, letting Jongin pull him to his torso and press soft kisses to his forehead. “I think I loved you since the first time I saw you.” Jongin admitted, making Sehun’s chest explode with butterflies more than it had been. “I think I did, too. You became my whole universe.” Their voices were barely above a whisper but to them they sounded loud, it was them in their world along with the sounds of their calming heart beats. 

“You became mine, everything about you is so perfect.” Sehun looked up at Jongin from his resting spot on Jongin’s bicep. “You’re perfect.” They exchanged a smile, a chaste kiss before letting their foreheads rest against one another. “Wanna shower, baby?” Jongin asked, leaving Sehun to nod. “Yeah, I have to stop at the shop, wanna come?” Jongin went to nod before his eyes went wide, nearly falling from his head as he let out a loud gasp. “Kyungsoo.” Sehun felt his own eyes go wide, sitting up now as he breathed out loudly. “Fuck, we have to tell him.” Jongin sat up now, staring over at Sehun. Sehun met the eye contact, he wanted to hear Jongin say that it was okay and they will and they’ll be together, anything but ‘no, I can’t.’ “Okay, we will. I love you, and he needs to know. I want to spend my life with you, Sehun.” 

Sehun smiled widely, although his chest was still filled with panic he scoot over and pressed his lips delicately to Jongin’s, pulling away a few moments later. “Let’s clean up, yeah?” 

 

Jongin smelled like his coconut body wash, his coconut shampoo and conditioner, he was holding his hand in Seoul, he kept exchanging soft fond smiles with Sehun. This is right, Sehun thinks, staring over at Jongin who looked scared but happy. 

They let go of one another’s hands as they turned on the sidewalk where the shop was, he took a deep breath and entered in first. It was empty, surprisingly, Kyungsoo was sat on the counter deep into his sudoku book. Jongin stayed close to Sehun, he could practically feel the other shaking like a leaf but he was determined. He was determined to spend the rest of his life with his soulmate, the one who left marks on his skin in sweet confessions about how much he loved Sehun. Sehun would put up any fight for Jongin, even if it meant losing his best friend. 

“Kyungsoo.” Sehun started, slightly impressed his voice didn’t waver. “Sehun? Jongin?” Kyungsoo looked up, clearly confused as Sehun took a small breath that was now shaky. “I have something to tell you.” Kyungsoo looked between the two, if Sehun was right he could see the litter of hickeys against their skin, he could see the swollen red lips, the way Jongin held Sehun’s hips. 

“Did you two fuck?” His voice went from calm to angry in a matter of seconds, his eyes were wide as his cheeks started to go red. “Yes but it’s deeper than that it’s-” Kyungsoo waved his hand, sliding off the counter and made his way over to Sehun, shoving his chest. “What? What is it? You fucked my ex-boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. And you,” he pointed to Jongin “you dumped me the day before so he could fuck you. Was this planned or something? A sick joke? What could _possibly_ make this deeper.” Sehun looked at Kyungsoo, water brimming his eyes as he whispered. “We’re soulmates. It wasn’t planned, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes watered, stepping back with a loud dry laugh, wiping at them with his hands. “You’re soulmates with my ex boyfriend? Ex boyfriend and ex best friend, sounds about right.” Sehun felt a tear slip down his cheek and quickly he wiped it. “Kyungsoo, I’m sorry to have hurt you.” Sehun didn’t regret anything with Jongin, no, not even a little bit, but he didn’t want to hurt Kyungsoo. He flinched at the scoff. “Fuck off with your fake apology, go be stupid and in love, don’t come around here anymore. I’m taking your name off the lease. Good luck doing anything with your fucking life, Oh Sehun. You’re useless and you only have looks going for you, you’ll be nothing. As for you, Jongin. I’m glad you weren’t my soulmate, I got tired of you really fast and you were a nuisance to me.”

His words were dripping with venom, the two nodded, and silently they exited the shop. They didn’t hold hands on the walk back, they didn’t talk, Sehun stared at the ground, feeling a tension between them that he felt like could be easily solved if he just spoke up about the elephant in the room. “I don’t regret anything with you, Jongin.” He said softly, finally, looking up at Jongin who sighed out in relief. “I don’t regret anything with you either.” Sehun leaned over to Jongin, pecking his lips with a soft smile. “Let’s get something to eat yeah? Then we can spend the rest of Valentine’s together.”

Their hands met again, walking into their hole in the wall cafe, then after to their little cute theater, then to a tea shop for Sehun where he surprised the other with chocolates. Sehun smiled now, standing in front of Chanyeol’s door, hands laced tightly with Jongin’s. “Sehun? Oh, oh my god. Oh my god Taeyeon! Taeyeon!” Chanyeol called out, running into the apartment to grab his wife in her pajamas, she looked confused until she saw the two holding hands. “Oh my god, come inside please!”

Sehun giggled, leading Jongin in, the two explained everything to the couple who leaned forward with piqued interest and wide eyes. They shared everything over tea, Jongin offered to help Taeyeon clean everything up. Sehun stared at Jongin who was in the kitchen laughing at whatever she said, a laugh of angels he thought. “He’s your soulmate.” Chanyeol said, making Sehun turn to him with a nod. “He is.” Chanyeol leaned forward and took Sehun’s hand, giving it a squeeze as he whispered softly. “He’s everything perfect for you, and I can’t wait to see you spend the rest of your life with him, Sehun.” 

Sehun nodded, smiling to himself as he turned back to Jongin already staring at him as if Sehun were the moon, sun, and stars. “Me too, Chanyeol.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I brought it back. I'm changing some things to it though so, oof. Sorry it took so long for me to bring this back, to be honest i don't know when I'm going to write an ending but I hope you can overlook it with the 3/4 chapters.


End file.
